Evidence has surfaced for the first time that Russia is receiving missiles from North Korea for the Ukraine war. Iran also plays a role in this.
Pyongyang/Moscow – For a long time it could only be speculated whether Russia would import weapons from North Korea and use them in the Ukraine war. Now, for the first time, evidence has appeared that confirms a delivery. It is unclear whether the weapons came directly from North Korea or were delivered via Iran.
North Korean missiles first sighted in Putin’s Ukraine arsenal
The arms shipment from North Korea was confirmed by Ukraine Weapons Tracker, a research portal dedicated to “detecting and tracking the use of materials in Ukraine.” As the portal wrote on the short message service X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, “North Korean-made ammunition was sighted in the hands of the Russian military” for the first time. In addition, the portal published several photos of the rockets.
The ammunition is specifically North Korean 122mm R-122 rockets. These would recently be issued to Russian BM-21 Grad crews. BM-21 Grad is a multiple rocket launcher system developed in the Soviet Union. The name “Grad” for the rocket launcher system means “hail”.
Putin’s new missiles delivered directly from North Korea? According to experts, the trail leads to Iran
As the “Ukraine Weapons Tracker” goes on to write, almost all markings on the missiles have been made unrecognizable, making direct information difficult to access. “While the missiles are indeed manufactured by North Korea, it is unlikely that they will be directly supplied,” it said. The weapons experts assume that the weapons are most likely delivered from Iran. They are therefore aware that Iran has R-122 missiles and has in the past already supplied obsolete 152mm grenades to Russia. However, the information cannot currently be independently verified. So far, it has only been officially confirmed that Russia has used drones from Iran in the Ukraine war.
The researchers’ observation coincides with other reports about a possible arms delivery from North Korea. Just Thursday, the White House said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, during a visit to Pyongyang last week, spoke with North Korean officials about increasing sales to Moscow of munitions for the war in Ukraine. US intelligence officials found that out, like the news agency AP reported. (nz)
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