North Korean aid helping Russia increase attacks on Ukraine, report says

Miami Herald

3 days ago

SEOUL, May 30 (UPI) -- Military cooperation between North Korea and Russia has enabled Moscow to increase its missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, the United States, South Korea and nine other allies said in a new report.
The report, released Thursday, was the first produced by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team, a group formed in October after Russia vetoed the mandate for a U.N. panel to continue its work overseeing North Korean sanctions violations.
The MSMT collected evidence that North Korea and Russia "engaged in myriad of unlawful activities" in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, according to the 29-page report. These violations include transfers of artillery, missiles and combat vehicles from North Korea to Russia for its war against Ukraine.
In return, North Korea has received air defense systems and technical weapons expertise from Russia. The MSMT also found that Moscow has supplied shipments of refined petroleum products far in excess of a yearly cap under U.N. sanctions and maintained banking relations with Pyongyang.
These forms of unlawful cooperation have "contributed to Moscow's ability to increase its missile attacks against Ukrainian cities including targeted strikes against critical civilian infrastructure," the report said.
The military relationship "also provided the resources to allow North Korea to fund its military programs and further develop its ballistic missiles programs ... and gain first-hand experience in modern warfare."
North Korea sent over 11,000 troops to Russia in 2024, and another 3,000 in the early months of this year, the report said, citing MSMT member states.
North Korea acknowledged sending the troops for the first time last month, claiming they helped recapture lost territory in Kursk Province from Ukrainian forces.
The MSMT includes the United States, Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand and South Korea. The team was established after Russia used its U.N. Security Council veto in March 2024 to end the mandate of the Panel of Experts, which had overseen North Korean sanctions monitoring since 2009.
The Panel of Expert's final report cited numerous sanctions violations by North Korea, including an estimated $3 billion generated from cyberattacks used to fund the regime's illicit weapons program.
Thursday's MSMT report covers the period between January 1, 2024 and April 30, 2025. It concludes that North Korea and Russia intend to continue their military cooperation "at least for the foreseeable future."
Citing an unnamed MSMT participating state, the report claims that North Korea shipped as many as 9 million rounds of mixed artillery and multiple rocket launcher ammunition to Russia in 2024 aboard Russian-flagged cargo vessels.
The North also sent Russia at least 100 ballistic missiles, the report said, which were "subsequently launched into Ukraine to destroy civilian infrastructure and terrorize populated areas such as Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia."
In return, Russia has transferred air defense systems, including at least one Pantsir-class mobile combat vehicle, according to unnamed participating MSMT countries. Moscow has also provided data feedback on Pyongyang's ballistic missiles, leading to improvements in missile guidance performance.
Under U.N. Security Council sanctions, North Korea can procure no more than 500,000 barrels of refined petroleum per year. The MSMT report estimates, however, that Russia supplied more than a million barrels of oil to North Korea between March and October 2024.
About 8,000 North Koreans have been sent to Russia to work in IT, construction and other sectors, the report added, while the two countries are actively conducting financial transactions through ruble-denominated bank accounts. Both are violations of U.N. sanctions.
In a joint statement, the 11 MSMT member states urged North Korea to "engage in meaningful diplomacy."
"We will continue our efforts to monitor the implementation of U.N. [Security Council Resolutions] on the DPRK and raise awareness of ongoing attempts to violate and evade U.N. sanctions," the statement said, using the official acronym for North Korea.
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