UK Ministry of Defense submits undisclosed defense intelligence report to UN
Filmed from September to December last year… UN expected to release report next month
Amid claims that North Korea supplied weapons to Russia, satellite photos of a Russian ship transporting cargo from North Korea were released.
The Guardian exclusively reported on the 22nd (local time) that such satellite photos were included in an undisclosed defense intelligence report submitted by the British Ministry of Defense to the UN expert panel.
A report obtained by the Guardian showed three Russian ships (Maia, Angara, and Maria) carrying containers from North Korea’s Rajin Port and returning to ports in the Russian Far East between September and December of last year.
All of these ships are subject to U.S. government sanctions in 2022. This is because it is linked to Oboron Logistica, a shipping company under the Russian Ministry of Defense that was involved in Russia’s illegal seizure and occupation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014.
Last September, North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un visited Russia and had a summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Amur Vostochny Cosmodrome.
The British Ministry of Defense said it could not confirm what was inside the container, but the Guardian pointed out that the United States announced last week that Russia had used North Korean ballistic missiles on the battlefield in Ukraine.
“Russia’s use of North Korean weapons in Ukraine violates multiple UN Security Council resolutions,” a UN diplomat said. “It undermines international efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons and reveals how desperate Russia was in its failed invasion.” He emphasized.
He added, “This report and other evidence submitted to the UN Sanctions Committee will trigger a full investigation into North Korea and Russia’s blatant violations of international sanctions.”
Kirillo Budanow, head of Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Service, claimed on the 21st that “North Korea is currently Russia’s largest arms supplier.”
According to the Guardian, the UN committee is expected to release its first final report on the North Korea-Russia arms trade next month.
North Korea and Russia have been deepening their relationship in various fields, including people-to-people exchanges, since Chairman Kim visited Russia last year.
Most recently, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui visited Russia from the 14th to the 18th, met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and paid a courtesy visit to President Putin. The North Korean and Russian foreign ministers discussed “further developing relations in all areas, including ‘sensitive areas.’”
President Putin’s visit schedule to North Korea is also being coordinated. Foreign Minister Choi reported in Russia that President Putin said, “I am willing to visit North Korea as soon as possible.” If President Putin visits North Korea this year, it will be 24 years since July 2000.
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.