UK images allege Russian ships picked up artillery from N. Korea, violating UN sanctions

Satellite images from the U.K. appear to back allegations by the U.S. that Russia is using artillery from North Korea to attack Ukraine, in violation of U.N. sanctions. Russian forces have ramped up missile attacks against Ukraine, per officials. A barrage of artillery hit multiple targets earlier in January, killing five people and injuring 130 more.

The allegations follow a September meeting between Putin and Kim Jong Un in Russia.

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“Russia has become increasingly isolated on the world stage, and they’ve been forced to look to like-minded states for military equipment,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said. “As we’ve been warning publicly, one of those states is North Korea. Our information indicates that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea recently provided Russia with ballistic missile launchers and several [dozen] ballistic missiles.”

These allegations appear to be backed by images with supposed evidence from an unpublished report by U.K. intelligence that the Guardian saw. Earmarked for a panel of U.N. experts, the report includes satellite images taken between September and December 2023, which purport to be Russian ships docked at a North Korean port. Those ships, according to the report, have been under U.S. sanctions since 2022 for their ties to a Russian Ministry of Defense shipping company involved in Russia’s illegal seizure and occupation of Crimea in 2014.

While the report acknowledges it cannot confirm what is in the containers on the Russian cargo vessels, U.K. officials hope it sparks a U.N. investigation. A U.N. diplomat said any arms deal between Russia and North Korea would undermine international efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

“This and other evidence submitted to the U.N. sanctions committee should trigger a full investigation into Russia and DPRK’s [North Korea’s] flagrant breaking of international sanctions,” the U.N. diplomat said.

The U.N. panel on North Korean proliferation is expected to make a final report on the matter in February.

Meanwhile, the “unprecedented” military collaboration between North Korea and Russia has officials warning that it could undermine U.S. efforts to deter nuclear weapon capability in South Korea and Japan.

“I think the nature of North Korea as a threat in the region could drastically change over the coming decade as a result of this cooperation,” said Pranay Vaddi, White House’s senior director for Arms Control at the National Security Council.