North Korea has sent containers to Russia that can hold almost 5 million artillery shells. Putin is likely to seek even more during his visits to Pyongyang.
This was reported by the Minister of Defense of South Korea Shin Wonsik.
Seoul discovered at least 10 000 shipping containers going from North Korea to Russia. They also had dozens of ballistic missiles with which the Russian invaders are attacking Ukraine.
In exchange for the munitions, Moscow has given Pyongyang technology to help it deploy reconnaissance satellites and improve tanks and aircraft.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is investing heavily in the missile program. Last yearʼs missile tests alone cost him one billion dollars — thatʼs 4% of North Koreaʼs economy.
According to South Koreaʼs defense minister, a billion dollars would be enough to cover North Koreaʼs food shortage for a year. However, Russia helps North Korea with this, thanking it for shells and missiles for its war.
For Russia, the DPRK is an important ally. The head of the GUR (the Ukrainian Intelligence) Kyrylo Budanov said that North Korea is the largest supplier of weapons and ammunition to the Russian Federation and without its help "the situation would be catastrophic" for the occupying forces.
- At the beginning of 2024, Western media wrote that Russia received a batch of ballistic missiles from North Korea (several dozen) and launchers for them. At the same time, the USA officially declared that Russia has short-range ballistic missiles from North Korea and launched them over Ukraine. On January 10, South Koreaʼs envoy to the UN said that North Korea uses Ukraine as a testing ground for its ballistic missiles with the help of Russia.
- On February 23, 2024, the GUR informed that North Korea had transferred one and a half million artillery ammunition to Russia.