Pyongyang has supplied Moscow’s army with long-range rocket and artillery systems, some of which have been moved to Russia’s Kursk region for an assault involving North Korean soldiers to push out Ukrainian forces, a Ukrainian intelligence assessment has found.
In recent weeks, North Korea provided some 50 domestically produced 170mm M1989 self-propelled howitzers and 20 updated 240mm multiple launch rocket systems that can fire standard rockets and guided ones, said the assessment, which was shared with the Financial Times.
The new weapons deliveries from North Korea mark the latest expansion of the authoritarian state’s support for Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Michael Kofman, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said they follow a pattern of deepening North Korean involvement, “from sending large volumes of ammunition, weapons, and becoming a direct party to this war, which could help Russian forces retake the Kursk region”.
North Korea has already played a critical role in providing millions of rounds of artillery ammunition for the Russian military in 2023, he noted.
It has deepened its involvement this year by sending more than 12,000 troops, according to multiple western intelligence assessments, further internationalising the conflict.
“North Korea has now become Russia’s accomplice and is helping Putin in this illegal war,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an address on Saturday after meeting Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Takeshi Iwaya in Kyiv.
“I informed [Iwaya] about the North Korean military’s activities in the Kursk region, about all the threats posed by Pyongyang and Moscow’s cooperation,” Zelenskyy added. “Russia is training North Korea in modern warfare, and this can cause a much wider destabilisation.”
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Here we go again with the blame game. Both sides are just playing their part in the grand theater of war. North Korea gets technology, Russia gets manpower and munitions, and we all get closer to a global conflict. Bravo, everyone involved. Bravo.
@QuaintP4rtyForward1yr1Y
So North Korea sends weapons to Russia, and what does our government do? Probably just lines the pockets of defense contractors with more 'aid' to Ukraine. It's all just a game for the rich, while the rest of us pay the price in taxes and potential escalation."
It’s not enough that Russia invaded Ukraine; now they’re dragging North Korea into this mess? This is a global threat, plain and simple. If we don’t act decisively, what’s to stop other rogue states from jumping in? Sanctions aren’t cutting it.
Cry me a river. The U.S. and NATO have been arming Ukraine for years. Russia and North Korea are just leveling the playing field. Maybe if the West stopped meddling, there wouldn’t be a war to begin with.
Both of you are missing the point. This isn’t about winning or losing; it’s about the people caught in the middle. More weapons mean more deaths, no matter who sends them. Why aren’t we talking about peace talks?
Biden's response will be weak, just like everything else with this administration. Trump would've never let North Korea or Russia think they could pull this off. This just shows the world sees Biden as a pushover.
Hold up, folks. We're quick to condemn, but isn't it possible this is just North Korea's way of ensuring its own survival against Western sanctions? Maybe they see Russia as a necessary ally against the U.S. dominance?
This is exactly why we need to scrutinize our media and political institutions. They're not telling us the whole story. North Korea and Russia could be a counterbalance to the NATO expansionism, but instead, we're led to believe it's all about aggression.
The resources being poured into this war are a crime against humanity and the planet. Now we have North Korea sending rockets and troops? Imagine if all these weapons and soldiers were redirected to combating climate change instead.
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