Russia is buying millions of rockets and artillery shells from North Korea to support its invasion of Ukraine, according to a recently declassified US intelligence finding.
A US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said on Monday that the fact that the Russian Defense Ministry had reached out to Pyongyang showed that “the Russian military continues to suffer from severe supply shortages in Ukraine , due in part to controls and sanctions on exports.”
US intelligence officials believe the Russians may seek to acquire additional North Korean military equipment in the future. The intelligence finding was first reported by the New York Times.
The US official did not disclose exactly how much weaponry Russia wanted to buy from North Korea.
The finding comes after the Biden administration confirmed that the Russian military received delivery of Iranian-made drones in August for use on the battlefield in Ukraine.
The White House said last week that Russia had faced technical problems with the Mohajer-6 and Shahed series drones, purchased as part of what the Biden administration says is likely to be part of a Russian plan to acquire hundreds of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles for use. in the conflict
Any arms sales to Russia by North Korea would be a violation of UN resolutions that prohibit Pyongyang from exporting or importing weapons from other countries.
North Korea has sought to strengthen relations with Russia as much of Europe and the West has withdrawn. The regime has blamed the US for the Ukraine crisis and claimed that the West’s “hegemonic policy” justifies Russia’s military action in Ukraine to protect itself.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently exchanged letters calling for “comprehensive” and “strategic and tactical” cooperation between the countries.
Moscow has also joined the North in condemning the resumption last month of large-scale joint military exercises between the US and South Korea, which Pyongyang sees as a rehearsal for an invasion.
Russia, along with China, has called for an easing of UN sanctions imposed in response to the North’s nuclear and ballistic missile tests.
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As members of the UN Security Council, they have approved 11 rounds of sanctions against North Korea since 2006. But in May, they vetoed US-led attempts to impose new measures against the regime after a series of high-profile missile tests.
North Korea has also said it is willing to send construction workers to help rebuild Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine, in violation of a UN resolution that required member states to repatriate all South Korean workers. North of its soil in 2019.
North Korea’s ambassador to Moscow recently met with envoys from two Russian-backed separatist territories in Ukraine’s Donbas region and expressed optimism about cooperation in the “field of labor migration,” citing the easing of pandemic border controls in your country.
In July, North Korea became the only country besides Russia and Syria to recognize the self-proclaimed republics of Luhansk and Donetsk, further aligning itself with Russia over the conflict in Ukraine.