According to recently leaked material, the US accuses North Korea of covertly supplying Russia with artillery shells for the Ukraine War by hiding the destination of their delivery.
In addition to the drones and other weapons that Russia has gotten from Iran, US officials see the covert North Korean shipments as more proof that even Moscow's conventional artillery arsenals have shrunk over the course of eight months of fighting.
North Korea Secretly Ships Weapon to Russia
According to the intelligence, North Korea is attempting to conceal the shipments by having the ammunition appear to be headed for Middle Eastern or North African nations.
About two months ago, the US intelligence agency stated that it thought Russia was on the verge of purchasing millions of rockets and artillery rounds from North Korea for use in combat. The fresh charges were not supported by any proof from the officials, as per CNN. The declassified material also lacked information on the number of weapons included in the shipments or the method of payment.
After Iran started sending Shahed-136 drones in late August, known as "kamikaze" drones for their capacity to plow into targets and deploy payloads, North Korea is the second significant US adversary to provide Russia support. Tehran later stationed Iranian forces in Ukraine to assist in directing Russians on the systems, NY Post reported.
According to allegations in the media on Tuesday, Iran is allegedly prepared to increase its role in Ukraine and is getting ready to supply Moscow ballistic missiles and more kamikaze drones. The shipment is expected to contain 1,000 weapons, including precision-guided surface-to-surface missiles for the first time.
Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon's press secretary, acknowledged Tuesday reports that Iran was delivering ballistic missiles, but he was unable to confirm whether the plan was already underway.
Read Also : North Korea Fires 10 Missiles Off South Korea Coast, Prompting Seoul To Respond with Air-to-Ground Missile
US Rivals Help Russia
Three of the four primary rivals identified in America's 2022 National Defense Strategy are cooperating now that Iran and North Korea are aiding Russia. Only China has not been openly identified as having assisted in supplying Russia with weapons by US authorities.
As the war approaches its ninth month, Ryder claimed that Moscow's request for assistance from Iran and North Korea "speaks to the status of Russia's weapons capabilities." As the West continues to supply Ukraine with cutting-edge weapons through regular military aid packages, Russia's supplies are running low.
It is unknown whether the artillery shells, which are being transported across the Middle East and North Africa, have reached Russia, according to John Kirby, the White House's national security spokesman. The United States doesn't think the new weaponry will change how the war develops. In September, North Korea declared that it had never sent Russia any weapons or ammunition and has no intention of doing so.
Per NY Times, the Biden administration claimed that Russia was looking to buy rockets and artillery shells from North Korea. The possibility that Iran is transporting surface-to-surface missiles and drones worries the United States as well. Kirby claimed that Russia had already made acquisitions and had stopped looking for such artillery.
He declined to provide into further detail about how the weapons were being carried or whether the US intended to attempt to stop them. If the North Korean weapons do make it to Russia, the United States thinks Ukraine will still be able to defend itself.
Ned Price, the spokesperson for the state department, stated at a news conference on Wednesday that the United States would "look at additional tools and authorities that we may be able to call upon to counter this activity" in addition to using "every tool" to enforce current sanctions against North Korea.
Additionally, he asked countries with ties to North Korea to exert pressure on the country's leadership to refrain from supplying weapons to Russia.
Related Article: Iran Sending 1000 Weapons, Including Attack Drones, to Russia for Ukraine War After Pentagon Raises Big Concerns
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