A Russian T-80 tank participates in the ‘Vostok-2022’ multinational military exercise held at the Uspenovsky training ground on the outskirts of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on Sakhalin Island on the 4th (local time). yunhap news
Reports have surfaced that Russia, which has invaded Ukraine, is buying millions of shells and rockets from North Korea.
The New York Times reported on the 5th (local time), quoting a US intelligence official, that “details about the exact timing of the purchase, shipping method and scale have not been confirmed.”
“[L’importazione russa di proiettili nordcoreani]it is a sign that global sanctions (led by the United States) have severely constrained Russia’s military supply chain, forcing it to turn its attention to North Korea, a pariah state,” he said.
Earlier this month, the US government announced that Russia had imported military drones (UAVs, unmanned aerial vehicles) from Iran. However, mechanical defects have been found in some drones, and the US government has stated, “The Russian military is experiencing an acute shortage of equipment in Ukraine due to sanctions and export controls.”
Furthermore, the US government believes that the reason it is trying to buy rockets and shells from North Korea, which are not high-tech weapons, is because the Russian military’s situation is so desperate. Frederick W. Kagan, a military expert at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), said: “There is no advanced technology in the 152 mm shells or Katyusha missiles produced by North Korea.”) It also cannot produce materials “.
Russia is estimated to have used more than 3,000 missiles in this war. Forbes recently reported that as the war drags on, experts estimate that not only precision missiles like the Iskander missiles will remain, but old missiles as well.
The recent escalation of attacks by Ukrainian forces on ammunition depots with US-sponsored rockets may also have played a role in the Russian shell shortage. Russian forces are responding to the attack by moving ammunition depots.
Meanwhile, an internal Russian report leaked to the press that day that the Russian economy could fall into a long-term deep recession due to Western sanctions related to the war in Ukraine.
