The UK has sent satellite images to a panel of UN experts of North Korean cargo shipments to Russia as proof that Pyongyang is violating international sanctions by providing weapons to Moscow for use in its invasion of Ukraine, The Guardian reports.
North Korea has been accused of supplying Russia with ballistic missiles and hundreds of thousands of artillery shells for its war against Ukraine since Russian leader Vladimir Putin met with Kim Jong-un in September 2023.
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s office said it had initial evidence that Russia used North Korean-made ballistic missiles in the 2 January strike on Kharkiv. The fragments of Iskander missiles from North Korea were sent to Kyiv for analysis.
The satellite images, captured between September and December 2023, show three Russian ships loading containers at North Korea’s revived Najin port before transiting to Russian ports.
While the agency said it could not identify what was in the containers, it followed a US announcement last week that Russia had used ballistic missiles from North Korea to strike Ukraine.
“Russia’s use of North Korean weapons in Ukraine is a violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions. It undermines international efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and exposes just how desperate Russia has become,” said a UN diplomat.
The diplomat added that the evidence from the UK should “trigger a full investigation” into Russia and North Korea’s “flagrant breaking of international sanctions.”
Meanwhile, North Korea’s foreign minister, Choe Son-hui, met with Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials in Moscow this week to discuss “further development of our relations in all areas, including sensitive ones.” There are also signs Russia may be helping Pyongyang’s space program, with Choe photographed holding a document titled “Observation List in Space Technology Field.”
Read more:
- Mapping North Korea’s discreet artillery ammo route to Russia
- Russia hits 2 million large-caliber munitions yearly; 500k shortfall covered by North Korea
- Ukraine reports first evidence of North Korean missile used by Russia
- North Korea may sell tactical guided missiles to Russia in addition to short-range ballistic missiles, Seoul says
