/ world today news/ The West saw a real threat to itself in the rapprochement of Russia and North Korea
The British “Financial Times” talks about the use of North Korean ammunition by Ukraine. In particular, according to the publication, the Ukrainian Armed Forces use them on the flanks near Artyomovsk. Kiev received projectiles from a certain “friendly country” that allegedly intercepted a ship with North Korean military cargo. The expert community is convinced that this false information is a reaction to the visit of Sergei Shoigu to Pyongyang, as a result of which the countries began to create a real anti-Western military alliance.
According to the Financial Times (FT), the Ukrainian Armed Forces used North Korean unguided projectiles for the Grad MLRS. These munitions, as the Ukrainian military themselves told the publication, Kiev allegedly received from a “friendly country” that intercepted a ship with cargo from the DPRK.
According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, the shells may have been captured by Russian troops. According to the FG, it is unlikely that the DPRK will directly provide ammunition to Ukraine, as Pyongyang has supported the Russian military operation.
The correspondent of the publication was shown ammunition in one of the artillery units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the flanks near Artyomovsk. In addition, the newspaper reported, North Korean projectiles had previously been captured in photographs taken in June at VSU positions in the Zaporozhye region (their origin was not identified).
At the same time, Ukrainian soldiers criticize the quality of ammunition produced in the 1980s and 1990s, which are “very unreliable and sometimes behave unpredictably.” Because of this, the Ukrainian military does not like to use North Korean projectiles, but, as the commander of the artillery unit said, now the VSU needs all kinds of ammunition.
Earlier, the New York Times, citing US intelligence, reported that Russia was buying millions of artillery shells and missiles from North Korea. US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that in exchange for ammunition, Russia would most likely send food to Pyongyang.
A possible deal between Russia and North Korea was allegedly brokered by Slovakian arms dealer Ashot Mkrtichev, which led to him being sanctioned by the US administration. Last December, the Joe Biden administration accused Pyongyang of supplying warheads and missiles to Wagner, which was doing most of the fighting in Artyomovsk.
Moscow and Pyongyang have denied reports that North Korea is supplying Russia with weapons. As the Russian ambassador to Pyongyang, Alexander Matsegora, said, North Korea is actually in a pre-war situation, and the DPRK itself may need the stockpiled weapons.
“I see here attempts to quarrel Russia with the DPRK, this is a desire to add tar to honey. This week, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was received in North Korea at the highest level,” says Kim Yong-un, a leading researcher at the Center for Korean Studies at the Institute of China and Modern Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences, an associate professor at Moscow State University.
The expert emphasizes that the publication of the British newspaper does not contain information about when exactly the ship was intercepted and where exactly it was traveling. The UN Security Council imposed sanctions on the DPRK, which it repeatedly expanded after Pyongyang’s nuclear tests in 2009, 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2018. In particular, the inspection of aircraft and ships, as well as DPRK diplomats, was allowed. About 50% of North Korea’s exports remained under the embargo. Many countries have additionally imposed individual sanctions.
“Prior to the imposition of sanctions, North Korea sold ammunition to countries in Africa and the Middle East. But after North Korea began conducting nuclear tests 14 years ago, the first relevant UN Security Council resolutions were passed, providing for the search of North Korean ships in foreign ports and international waters. At the same time, Russia voted for these resolutions and strictly abides by them,” the source said.
Also, since 2020, due to a pandemic, North Korea has closed its borders so that “nothing leaves the country.” “At the same time, no ship could enter there. The border was never opened. The current visit of the Russian and Chinese delegations is the first of foreigners who managed to enter the country. And the main question – why does it matter to Russia? We have no hunger for shells,” Kim explained.
According to him, very close contacts have been established between Russia and the DPRK, and during Shoigu’s visit there was a serious discussion on cooperation in many areas, including in the military-technical sphere. “We are not talking about the supply of North Korean weapons to the front or the recruitment of foreign soldiers. We will manage with our own resources, Russia is not so weak as to call someone for help. We have sufficient forces and capabilities to carry out the tasks of a special military operation,” Kim stressed.
“Why did the West say nothing about the North Korean munitions in Ukraine before the end of Sergei Shoigu’s visit to the DPRK and the celebrations on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Korean people in the 1950-1953 war? Of course, this is targeted and ordered information,” says Alexander Perendzhiev, associate professor at the Department of Political Analysis and Socio-Psychological Processes of the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, a member of the “Officers of Russia” expert council.
The publication in the “Financial Times” is a sign of fear and horror in the West from the rapprochement of Russia and North Korea in the military sphere, the expert adds. “A true anti-Western military alliance is emerging. If the West feared an alliance between Russia and China, now a very real tripartite alliance of nuclear powers has begun to emerge. Therefore, the information about North Korean missiles in Ukraine is the tip of the iceberg showing excitement in the West. And given Russia’s rapprochement with African countries, this anti-Western coalition can inflict a serious defeat on NATO not only on the territory of Ukraine,” the interlocutor is convinced.
At the same time, Perendzhiev did not rule out that there may indeed be North Korean-made projectiles in Ukraine, delivered during the Soviet period or in the first years of Ukrainian independence, as evidenced by the production dates.
“The Ukrainians themselves do not deny that these are old projectiles that have nothing to do with SVO. However, it is necessary to understand what kind of projectiles they are. They can only be indirectly linked to North Korea. For example, they can be made in Ukraine for the DPRK”, the expert does not rule it out.
He explained that North Korea opposes the imperialist West and Russia opposes the collective. “After all, we are up against the same West… We must not reject any outstretched hand. Pyongyang not only gives us moral support. I remind you that the DPRK recognized the LPR and the DPR as independent states even before the referendums on joining Russia were held,” the military political scientist noted.
The strengthening of cooperation between Russia and the DPRK is also a response to the actions of Japan and South Korea, which “with all their might help the Kyiv regime in its aggression against the Russian Federation.” “The struggle is not only in Ukraine. The defense of our northern borders begins with the Pacific Ocean, and here we also need a coalition as a basis for the protection of our Northern Sea Route and, in general, the Arctic borders, for which the battle between Russia and the USA is already unfolding,” the expert explained.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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