Russia has begun the process to buy millions of artillery shells and rockets from North Korea to support its war effort against Ukraine, according to multiple recently published reports.
The decision to pursue munitions from Pyongyang comes as western sanctions and export restrictions have limited the flow of critical technologies to Russia.
The US assessment on Russia’s purchases was first reported by the New York Times on Monday based on declassified US intelligence. It offered few details on the exact arms Russia is in the process of purchasing, and the Times said it could not independently verify the sale.
One US official said that besides the short-range rockets and artillery shells that are being bought, the Kremlin is expected to purchase additional arms going forward. The assessment comes at a critical juncture in Russia’s war, now on its seventh month, with an ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive seeking to retake southern parts of the country occupied by Russia.
“The Kremlin should be alarmed that it has to buy anything at all from North Korea,” Mason Clark, who leads the Russia team at the Institute for the Study of War, told the newspaper.
The Times’ report was corroborated by multiple US media outlets.
The disclosure comes after the US said Iran has supplied Russia with an initial shipment of drones in August to aid its offensive against Ukraine with American officials warning that some of the unmanned vehicles have malfunctioned in theater.
Source: Anadolu Agency