Washington — According to a newly downgraded U.S. intelligence assessment, the Russian Ministry of Defense is in the process of obtaining millions of rockets and artillery shells from North Korea for its ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the intelligence assessment, stated on Monday that Russia’s reliance on the isolated state of North Korea demonstrates that “the Russian military continues to suffer from severe supply shortages in Ukraine, in part due to export controls and sanctions.”
U.S. intelligence officials anticipate that the Russians may seek to acquire further military equipment from North Korea in the future. The New York Times was the first to report on the intelligence assessment.
The U.S. official did not specify the quantity of arms that Russia plans to purchase from North Korea.
The discovery follows confirmation by the Biden administration that the Russian military received Iranian-made drones for use on the battlefield in Ukraine in August.
Concerns increase as conflict persists near a Ukrainian power plant 01:52
The White House reported this week that Russia has encountered technical difficulties with the Iranian-made drones it purchased in August from Tehran for use in its war with Ukraine.
Russia acquired Mohajer-6 and Shahed-series unmanned aerial vehicles over the course of several days last month as part of a strategy, according to the Biden administration, to obtain hundreds of Iranian UAVs for use in Ukraine.
North Korea has sought to strengthen ties with Russia while Europe and the West have distanced themselves, blaming the United States for the Ukraine issue and condemning the West’s “hegemonic policy” as justification for Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine.
The North Koreans have expressed interest in deploying construction workers to assist in the reconstruction of Russian-occupied territory in the country’s eastern region.
03:51 U.S. and South Korean military train for a North Korean strike
North Korea’s ambassador to Moscow recently met with envoys from two separatist areas sponsored by Russia in the Donbas region of Ukraine and voiced confidence over cooperation in the “field of labor movement,” citing his country’s relaxing of internal border controls.
In July, North Korea was the only country outside Russia and Syria to recognize the independence of Donetsk and Lugansk, further aligning itself with Russia in the Ukraine conflict.
The North’s arms shipment to Russia would violate United Nations resolutions that prohibit the government from selling or importing weapons. It would also violate a United Nations resolution requiring all member states to repatriate all North Korean workers from their territory by 2019.
China and Russia have been suspected of not completely enforcing U.N. sanctions against North Korea, hindering U.S.-led efforts to deprive North Korea of its nuclear weapons.
North Korea, according to U.S. authorities, might conduct a nuclear test “at any time.” 03:33
North Korea’s provocative action comes as the Biden administration grows increasingly concerned about North Korea’s increased pursuit of nuclear weapons. North Korea has tested more than 30 ballistic missiles this year, including its first intercontinental ballistic missile flights since 2017, as Kim Jong Un strives to improve his nuclear arsenal despite pressure and sanctions from the United States.
Throughout the protracted war in Ukraine, the U.S. has frequently degraded and disclosed intelligence findings to highlight Russian preparations for disinformation campaigns or to show Moscow’s problems in prosecuting the war. The weaker Ukrainian military has put up a fierce fight against the larger Russian forces.
Recent correspondence between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim calls for “comprehensive” and “strategic and tactical” collaboration between the countries. North Korea perceives the resumption of large-scale military drills between the United States and South Korea this year as an invasion rehearsal.
On April 25, 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un prior to their meeting on the grounds of the Far Eastern Federal University on Russky island in the far-eastern Russian port of Vladivostok.
Russia and China have both lobbied for the lifting of United Nations sanctions placed on North Korea for its nuclear and missile tests. Both nations are members of the United Nations Security Council, which has adopted eleven rounds of sanctions against North Korea since 2006. In May, Russia and China blocked a United States-led effort to impose further economic restrictions on North Korea in response to its high-profile missile tests this year.
Some experts believe that Kim could strengthen his resolve to keep his nuclear arsenal if he believes that the Russian strike occurred because Ukraine gave up its nuclear arsenal.
Relations between Moscow and Pyongyang date back to 1948, when Soviet officials installed young, ambitious nationalist Kim Il Sung as the country’s first leader. Kim Il Sung is the late grandfather of Kim Jong Un. Since then, Soviet aid shipments were important to keeping North Korea’s economy surviving for decades prior to the Soviet Union’s collapse in the early 1990s.
In an effort to attract South Korean investment, Moscow has now established formal diplomatic relations with Seoul and allowed its Soviet-era military alliance with North Korea to lapse. After his election in 2000, however, Putin actively attempted to rebuild Russia’s ties with North Korea in an effort to reclaim Russia’s traditional spheres of influence and win more allies to better deal with the United States.