This week, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a mutual defense pact, promising to provide each other with "immediate military assistance" in the event of an attack. A few days before the meeting, the US State Department said North Korea had delivered more than 11,000 containers of ammunition to Russia since September. This is reported by the Washington Post, writes UNN.
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A new analysis of internal Russian trade data conducted by the non-governmental security organization C4ADS and published by the Washington Post shows the distribution of suspected North Korean ammunition across Russia. From August to January, more than 74,000 metric tons of explosives were distributed through two ports in the Russian Far East, equivalent to about 1.6 million artillery shells.
These data do not indicate the exact origin of the shipments, but an analysis conducted by The Post and C4ADS revealed the movement of Russian ships between North Korea and Russia during this period.
Gomong Hyun, a senior researcher at the Seoul Institute for national security strategy, associated with the South Korean intelligence agency, said this is the most convincing evidence of a link between Russia and North Korea regarding the transfer of ammunition. He claims that this information reinforces evidence that North Korea is helping Russia in the war in Ukraine.
"It really adds more credibility to the fact that North Korea is helping Russia wage war in Ukraine. If we don't have photos, or if the North Koreans don't say, 'Look, we're handing over shells to Russia' or something like that, that's the best we can get, "Guo said.
This week, the leaders of Russia and North Korea, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-Un, signed a mutual defense treaty, promising each other military assistance in the event of an attack. The agreement strengthened ties between the two countries after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to the C4ADS think tank and the Washington Post, probably 27 shipments of ammunition were sent from the North Korean port of Rajin to Russian ports over the past period. The weight of these shipments is equal to thousands of containers that were distributed to 16 sites in Russia, 12 of which are located near known ammunition depots.
Ammunition stocks were sent to facilities controlled by the main missile and artillery Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defense, which indicates the military purpose of these goods.
The meeting between Putin and Kim Jong Un also highlighted the strengthening of their anti-Western coalition, which includes China and Iran, in the face of growing international sanctions against North Korea. North Korea needs the resources that Russia can provide, including food, fuel, and cash.
These efforts could be crucial to Russia's war in Ukraine, as ammunition is a critical factor in the ongoing conflict.
recall
Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly denied that Russia has requested military service from North Korea for the war in Ukraine.