North Korea has sent Russia at least 13,000 shipping containers believed to be carrying arms since mid-2022, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported Tuesday, citing a military intelligence report submitted to lawmakers in the East Asian nation.
“To prepare for a prolonged war in Ukraine, Russia has moved to formalize North Korea as a supply base for weapons and ammunition,” the South Korean Defense Ministry’s intelligence agency was quoted as saying by Yonhap.
According to the report, the containers had the capacity to hold more than 6 million 152-millimeter artillery shells. Military analysts previously said Ponyang may have also shipped 120mm mortars, 122mm artillery shells and 122mm rockets to Russia.
The United States and its allies accuse North Korea of supplying ammunition and missiles to Russia for its war against Ukraine.
Moscow and Pyongyang have denied the allegations. However, during a visit to North Korea earlier this summer, President Vladimir Putin signed a mutual defense agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Putin has also threatened to send weapons to Pyongyang over Western military aid to Ukraine, prompting Washington and Seoul to express unease over the potential to destabilize the Korean Peninsula.
Moscow is believed to be interested in buying North Korean ammunition to continue fighting in Ukraine, while Pyongyang wants Russia’s help in developing its missile program and other advanced military technology.