While the U.S. White House announced that North Korea recently provided 1,000 containers worth of weapons to Russia using a cargo ship, an analysis by a U.S. research institute was raised on the 25th that the containers may have contained up to 500,000 shells.
“Considering that each container can contain 300 to 500 shells, North Korea could have sent 300,000 to 500,000 shells to Russia,” said Col. And Kiviseelg of the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) Intelligence Center, according to a report from the Institute of War Studies (ISW). “It may have been provided,” Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported.
He also said about the artillery shells that North Korea sent to Russia, “If calculated at the rate that Russia consumes about 10,000 artillery shells per day, this is enough for up to a month,” adding, “There are still 4 million artillery shells left in Russia, so at least 1. “It can be used in low-intensity warfare for years,” he analyzed.
In particular, Mason Clark, a senior researcher at ISW who wrote the report, told RFA, “We do not assess that North Korea is providing only small-sized munitions, and we believe it is most likely that they provided artillery shells.” John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the National Security Council at the White House, said, “It was recently announced that about 1,000 containers, including equipment and munitions, were provided to Russia, and the munitions here are likely to mean artillery shells,” he added.
The report also said, “It is confirmed through sources and satellite photos that the volume of shipments, which appear to consist mainly of artillery shells, has increased rapidly since Russia and North Korea began formal military technology cooperation last September,” adding, “North Korea is expected to deliver additional artillery shells to Russia.” “It is highly likely,” he added.
Previously, on the 13th, the U.S. White House released related satellite photos, saying that between the 7th of last month and the 1st of this month, North Korea used the Russian-shipped Angara ship to provide 1,000 containers worth of military equipment and ammunition to Russia. Since then, related circumstances have continued to emerge, such as the sight of a large ship docked at North Korea’s Rajin Port, which the U.S. government identified as a site for arms trade between North Korea and Russia.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.