The US State Department has accused North Korea of shipping more than 10,000 containers of ammunition and related supplies to Russia since September to help stockpile Russia in preparation for an invasion of Ukraine.
The State Department described these shipments in a fact sheet attached to the report. announcement Sanctions against more than 500 individuals and entities related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. death Remarks by Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Alexei Navalny (KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)
two entities Designated The sanctions target Russian companies that operate the Vostochny port terminal and Russian naval facilities in Vladivostok. Both men were involved in transporting military supplies from North Korea.
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un raised concerns that North Korea would help supply Russian troops. visited Russia in September. Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin met at the Vostochny cosmodrome, the same port city mentioned in the new US sanctions package.
Kim pledged During the meeting, Putin expressed support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Putin promised to help North Korea develop “satellite technology,” or long-range missiles. Analysts said North Korea has a large stockpile of Soviet weapons that could be useful to the Russians in Ukraine, giving Mr. Kim something of value in exchange for the technology he wants.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un laughs with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a visit to Russia’s Far East on September 13, 2023. (Rodong Shinmun/North Korea government)
The White House immediately accused North Korea begins shipping weapons to Russia include A lot of shells. U.S. intelligence provided photos of the containers being loaded onto a Russian-flagged ship in Najin, North Korea, and transferred to rail cargo once they arrived in Russia. Declassified materials released to the public did not clearly identify the contents of these containers.
By mid-October, the White House estimated that 1,000 ammunition containers had been shipped from North Korea to Russia. On Friday, the State Department announced that amount had increased tenfold.
Early optimism that Russia must be doing poorly in Ukraine if it had to beg North Korea for ammunition gave way to alarm that North Korea might have asked for ammunition. It was done. many We sell seashells at discounted prices.friday bloomberg news Quote U.S. and South Korean intelligence agencies estimate that North Korea shipped more than 2 million 152mm artillery shells to Russia, raking in billions of dollars in profits, or the equivalent value in Russian technology.
the white house too Said North Korea has provided Russia with dozens of ballistic missiles. Some of them are believed to have been used in attacks on Ukraine in late December and early January.
Both North Korea and Russia deny the ammunition shipment, but the State Department says it violates multiple United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, some of which Russia also voted in favor of. Ta.
