According to newly declassified documents, the US is accusing North Korea of secretly supplying Russia with artillery shells for the war in Ukraine.
U.S. officials believe North Korea’s covert shipments, along with drones and other weapons Russia has received from Iran, are further evidence that Moscow’s conventional artillery arsenals have also been depleted during eight months of fighting.
North Korea is trying to hide the shipments by making it appear as if the ammunition is being shipped to countries in the Middle East or North Africa, intelligence says.
The latest allegations come about two months after the US intelligence community said it believed Russia was in the process of buying millions of missiles and artillery shells from North Korea for use on the battlefield.
“In September, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea publicly denied that it intended to provide ammunition to Russia,” National Security Council strategic communications coordinator John Kirby said in a statement. “However, our intelligence indicates that the DPRK is covertly supplies Russia’s war in Ukraine with significant numbers of artillery shells, while hiding the true destination of the arms shipments by trying to make it look like they are being sent to countries in the Middle East or North Africa.”
However, officials did not provide evidence to support the new charges.
It also did not provide details on how many weapons are part of the shipments, or how they would be paid for.
“We will continue to monitor whether these shipments have been received,” Kirby said.