North Korea provided weapons to Russia in exchange for unblocking its assets in a Russian bank, which were frozen due to UN sanctions.
This was reported by The New York Times with reference to sources in the intelligence services of US-allied countries.
According to intelligence, Russia allowed to unlock $9 million of $30 million in frozen North Korean assets. The DPRK is going to use this money to buy crude oil.
In addition, according to intelligence, a North Korean company opened an account in another Russian bank — in unrecognized South Ossetia: this may indicate that Russia is helping North Korea to circumvent UN sanctions that prohibit financial transactions with this country.
American officials said they did not know the details of Moscowʼs banking arrangements with Pyongyang. But the senior official said the arrangements are in line with U.S. expectations of what North Korea will demand from Russia in exchange for weapons supplies.
According to experts, access to financial networks is only one item on North Koreaʼs wish list. According to them, what North Korea wants most from Russia is advanced military equipment, such as satellite technology and nuclear submarines.
Juan Zarate, the former assistant secretary of the US Treasury for countering the financing of terrorism, said that if Russia allows North Korea to use its banks or release frozen assets, its government will "cross the Rubicon of willingness to deal with North Korea and be a financial and commercial rogue."
What is known about missiles from North Korea
On January 5, the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces did not confirm Russiaʼs use of ballistic missiles from the DPRK. The spokesman of the Polish Armed Forces, said that experts are studying the wreckage Yuriy Ignat but it will take time. However, on January 4, Western media wrote that Russia received a batch of ballistic missiles from North Korea (several dozen) and launchers for them. On the same day, the US officially announced that Russia had short-range ballistic missiles from North Korea and had launched them into Ukraine — the first on December 30, 2023 (fell in Zaporizhzhia) and several others on January 2 during a massive missile attack.
On January 10, South Koreaʼs ambassador to the UN said that North Korea is using Ukraine as a testing ground for its ballistic missiles with the help of Russia.