The White House: North Korea Provided Russia With Around 1,000 Containers of “Equipment and Ammunition” for the War in Ukraine

Russian ships, linked to military transport networks, have been collecting cargo from North Korea and delivering them to a military port several times over the past two months, according to new satellite images, which suggest that Pyongyang may be assisting Moscow's efforts in the war.

The Washington Post reported this.

The ships began operating in August after meetings between officials from North Korea and Russia that paved the way for Kim Jong Un's visit to Russia last month.

At the time, U.S. intelligence estimates suggested that Russia sought to obtain North Korean weapons to replenish its supplies for the war in Ukraine.

White House representatives identified one Russian ship, stating that North Korea had transported around 1,000 containers of "equipment and ammunition" from North Korea to Russia "in recent weeks."

However, new satellite images, analyzed by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London, show that this operation is more regular, extensive, and ongoing.

According to RUSI's analysis, not one but two ships are operating the route between North Korea's Rajin port and the port in Vladivostok, Russia's Far East, conducting at least five round trips from mid-August to last Saturday. Commercial vessels "Maria" and "Angara" are transporting military equipment, say RUSI analysts and U.S. officials.

The images show two ships loading and unloading containers in different docks at the Rajin port. In Vladivostok, the ships unload while adjacent to a military ship.

According to Marine Traffic's data, shortly before they began operating on this route, the vessels switched off their automatic identification systems. This allows "Maria" and "Angara" to conceal their positions during the journey between ports.

North Korea manufactures 122-mm Grad rockets from the Soviet era and 122-mm howitzer artillery shells that Russia has actively used in the war, and now urgently needs to replenish their supplies.

"This expansion of military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, including any transfer of technology from Russia to North Korea, undermines regional stability and the global non-proliferation regime," said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. He did not specify what exactly, according to the White House, was delivered to North Korea.

As The Gaze reported, the U.S. Department of the Treasury has announced sanctions on five legal entities and two individuals from Iran, China, Turkey, and the UAE who assisted in supplying components for Iran's Shahed drone production program.

"Iranian-made drones remain a key tool in Russia's attacks on Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure," said Brian Nelson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the U.S. Department of the Treasury.