North Korea might be sending arms to Russia for Ukraine war: Report

Russian ships linked to military transport networks have collected cargo from North Korea and delivered it to an apparent Russian military port on multiple occasions over the past two months, The Washington Post said in a report on Monday (Oct 16) citing satellite images. This is the clearest evidence so far that North Korea might be helping Moscow's war effort.

As per the report, the two ships had no record of running this route between the two countries (North Korea and Russia) until August. At that time, US intelligence assessments suggested that Russia was looking to get North Korean weaponry to replenish its dwindling supplies for the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Satellite images provided by the London-based Royal United Services Institute showed that two ships - the Angara and the Maria - have been plying the route between the North Korean port of Rajin and a secure port facility in Russia's Dunai, making at least five round trips beginning mid-August through last Saturday.

As per RUSI analysts and US officials, the images showed ships linked to the Russian military logistics network which strongly suggested that these commercial vessels were carrying military equipment.

“This will have a very serious effect on the trajectory of the war," Jack Watling from the RUSI said, adding that North Korea has the ability to manufacture a lot of ammunition and the country also has significant stockpiles.

The Washington Post reported that around the time the shipments began, munition pits were rapidly expanded at an ammunition depot near the Ukrainian border.

Citing data from Marine Traffic, a ship-tracking site, the report said the two vessels went dark shortly before they began operating on this route by turning off the signal of their automatic identification system. This allowed the vessels to hide their position as they transited between ports.

The images showed two vessels making multiple trips between Dunai and Rajin, picking up and delivering cargo at each location.

Last Friday, the White House said that North Korea delivered over 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia in recent weeks for use in Ukraine.

"We condemn the DPRK (North Korea's official name) for providing Russia with this military equipment, which will be used to attack Ukrainian cities, kill Ukrainian civilians, and further Russia's illegitimate war," White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters

"We will continue to monitor for any additional DPRK arms shipments to Russia," he added.

The White House official also said that the expanding military partnership between North Korea and Russia including any technology transfers from Moscow to Pyongyang undermined regional stability and the global non-proliferation regime.

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