Russia is in the process of purchasing millions of missiles and artillery shells from North Korea for use in its continuing takeover of Ukraine, Defense Department press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters during a Sept. 6 briefing at the Pentagon.
According to Ryder, the purchase suggests that Russia is struggling to maintain its supplies as a result of international sanctions and export controls. “It does demonstrate and is indicative of the situation Russia finds itself in in terms of logistics and sustainment capabilities as it relates to Ukraine,” Ryder said. “We assess that things are not going well on that front for Russia, so the fact that they’re reaching out to North Korea is a sign that they’re having some challenges on the sustainment front.”
Ryder added that Russia is expected to purchase more weaponry from North Korea as the conflict in Ukraine and the export bans continue.
News of Russia’s weapons purchase from North Korea follows a previous announcement from the Biden administration, which stated that Russia purchased combat drones from Iran in mid-August. The purchase consisted of Mohajer-6, Shahid-129, and Shahid-191 models, US officials told CNN on Aug. 30.
US intelligence also views the weapons purchases as attempts to compete with Ukraine’s Western-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), which have allowed Ukraine to precisely target critical Russian outposts and ammunitions stations.
Russia and North Korea have maintained a close relationship since the 1950’s, with the former Soviet Union having assisted North Korea during the Korean War. North Korea has consistently blamed the United States and the West for the conflict in Ukraine. “The root cause of the Ukraine crisis totally lies in the hegemonic policy of the U.S. and the West, which enforce themselves in high-handedness and abuse of power against other countries,” North Korea’s Central News Agency said early in the conflict in Feb. 2022, citing an unnamed foreign spokesperson.
