Russia is buying millions of rockets and artillery shells from North Korea to use in the invasion of Ukraine, according to US intelligence sources cited in a report by The New York Times on Monday (06/09).
According to information recently released by the US intelligence services, Western sanctions are blocking Moscow’s access to arms markets and forcing Russia to turn to the “rogue states” to “supply” military material indispensable for the campaign on Ukrainian territory.
This would show that “the Russian military continues to experience serious shortages of supply in Ukraine, partly due to export controls and sanctions.”
The news comes days after President Joe Biden’s administration confirmed that it had received the first shipments of Iranian-made drones purchased in August, according to Washington.
The New York Times reported that U.S. government officials believe Russia’s decision to turn to Iran, and more recently North Korea, is a sign that restrictions on exports are affecting Moscow’s ability to obtain ammunition.
The publication emphasizes that there is no information about the amount of remittances yet, and the first data on trade with North Korea have not yet been confirmed by independent sources.
Still, a US administration official said that in addition to short-range artillery rockets and ammunition, Russia may try to purchase “additional equipment” from North Korea in the future.
“The Kremlin should be alarmed because it has to buy anything from North Korea,” said Mason Clark, who heads the Russia division of the Institute for War Studies (ISW), a think tank.
Partnership
While North Korea sought to strengthen its relations with Russia, Europe and the West moved away from the country, blaming the US for the Ukraine crisis and condemning the West’s “hegemonic policy”, legitimizing Russia’s military action in Ukraine as a Russian tool. protection.
The North Koreans have said they are interested in sending workers to help rebuild Russian-occupied areas in eastern Ukraine.
North Korea’s ambassador to Moscow recently met with envoys from two Russian-backed separatist regions in Ukraine’s Donbass region and expressed optimism about cooperation “in the field of business migration”.
In July, North Korea became the only country outside of Russia and Syria to recognize the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk territories, further aligned with Moscow on the conflict in Ukraine.
Exporting North Korean weapons to Russia violates UN resolutions that prohibit the country from importing or exporting weapons from other countries. The possible deployment of workers to Russian-controlled areas in Ukraine would also violate a UN resolution requiring member states to repatriate all North Korean workers from their territories by 2019.
There are suspicions that China and Russia have not fully implemented UN sanctions on North Korea and are hampering the US government’s efforts to denuclearize North Korea.
More than 30 tests in 2022
The news of North Korea’s military deals with Russia comes at a time when the Biden administration is increasingly concerned about North Korea’s intensified efforts to obtain nuclear weapons.
North Korea has tested more than 30 ballistic missiles this year, including the first intercontinental ballistic missile tests since 2017, when leader Kim Jong-un pushed to advance its nuclear arsenal despite US-led pressure and sanctions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim recently exchanged correspondence stating that they both favor “comprehensive”, “strategic and tactical” cooperation between the two countries.
For its part, Moscow has issued statements condemning the resurgence of large-scale US-South Korean joint military exercises this year, which North Korea sees as a rehearsal for the invasion.
Russia, along with China, has called for easing of UN sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear and missile tests.
Both countries are members of the UN Security Council, which has approved a total of 11 rounds of sanctions against Pyongyang since 2006.
In May, Russia and China vetoed a US-led proposal to impose new sanctions on North Korea over this year’s missile tests.
Some experts say it strengthened Kim’s decision to hold on to his nuclear weapons because he thought the Russian attack happened precisely because Ukraine gave up its nuclear arsenal.
*with AP, Reuters, Lusa
source: Noticias
