Latest news with #D-30
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Missiles, troops, and millions of rounds: How deep is North Korea into Russia's war in Ukraine?
North Korea has become one of Russia's most crucial wartime allies, supplying missiles, troops and millions of artillery rounds to support its war in Ukraine. A new multilateral report exposes the full scale of Pyongyang's military support to Moscow, and how this arms pipeline is shaping the battlefield read more Over the past two years, North Korea has significantly deepened its military cooperation with Russia, supplying a wide array of troops, munitions, missiles and equipment to bolster Moscow's ongoing war against Ukraine. A detailed and alarming report released by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) — a coalition of eleven UN member states — lays bare the scope and mechanics of these transfers, arguing that they constitute a direct violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The MSMT, formed in response to the disbandment of a previous UN panel overseeing sanctions on Pyongyang, has published what is is being touted as the most comprehensive analysis yet of the North Korea–Russia arms collaboration. Image Source: Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) report via an MSMT participating state Drawing on open-source intelligence and field investigations by organisations like the Open Source Centre (OSC) and Conflict Armament Research (CAR), the report, accessed by Firstpost outlines a systematic military supply chain funnelling support from Pyongyang to Moscow. From North Korea with love… and missiles According to MSMT participating states in the report, North Korea delivered at least 100 ballistic missiles to Russia between January and December 2024. These weapons were later used to attack urban centres and critical civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, including cities like Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia. Image Source: Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) report via an MSMT participating state The report noted, 'These forms of unlawful cooperation between (North Korea) and Russia contributed to Moscow's ability to increase its missile attacks against Ukrainian cities including targeted strikes against critical civilian infrastructure.' The arsenal sent from North Korea included an assortment of 82mm, 122mm, 130mm, 152mm and 170mm munitions, designed for compatibility with a variety of artillery systems in Russia's inventory such as the D-20 and D-30 howitzers, the M-30 and M-46 guns, and the D-74 cannon. Image Source: Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) report via an MSMT participating state The report specified that over 20,000 containers of such ammunition and related materiel were transferred since September 2023. One MSMT state estimated that in 2024 alone, up to 9 million rounds of artillery and multiple rocket launcher ammunition were delivered aboard Russian-flagged cargo vessels. Between August 2023 and March 2025, open-source estimates place that figure at 4.2 to 5.8 million rounds of 122mm and 152mm munitions, showing the sustained scale of deliveries. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Image Source: Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) report via Conflict Armament Research (CAR) In terms of heavy equipment, North Korea shipped three brigade sets of artillery systems, which included 170mm long-range self-propelled guns, 240mm multiple rocket launchers, reload vehicles, and over 200 military vehicles. Among the more advanced systems sent were Bulsae-4 anti-tank missiles and RPG-type anti-tank rockets. Following the recovery of these weapons from battlefields in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence confirmed their North Korean origin. Image Source: Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) report via an MSMT participating state One particularly significant incident occurred in January 2024, when UN experts traced a missile strike on Kharkiv back to a North Korean Hwasong-11 series ballistic missile, confirming a violation of the longstanding UN arms embargo on North Korea. How North Korean troops are fighting for Russia against Ukraine According to the MSMT, more than 11,000 North Korean soldiers were deployed to eastern Russia in late 2024. These troops were subsequently relocated to the Kursk Oblast, where they were involved in direct combat operations alongside Russian forces. These North Korean units were trained in key military tactics by Russian forces, including drone warfare, artillery operations and trench-clearing techniques — skills critical to contemporary battlefield conditions. Image Source: Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) report via an MSMT participating state Between January and March 2025, another 3,000 soldiers were sent from North Korea to Russia. Both Russia and North Korea acknowledged the presence of these troops for the first time in April 2025. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Image Source: Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) report via an MSMT participating state Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that North Korean soldiers had participated in operations aimed at reclaiming Russian territory following a Ukrainian advance into the Kursk region. North Korean officials also confirmed their involvement. Though these troops had been in Russia since at least November 2024, Ukrainian intelligence reported that many were pulled from the frontlines in January 2025 after experiencing significant casualties. The logistics behind the North Korea-Russia arms trade Transportation of arms and personnel has been carried out through a combination of maritime, rail and air routes. Initially, arms transfers were conducted primarily by rail. However, to meet growing demand, Russia transitioned to using maritime shipping as the dominant mode of transport. A total of 49 shipments of artillery and rocket ammunition were recorded from January to mid-December 2024. Image Source: Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) report via an MSMT participating state Sensitive items such as missiles, missile launch vehicles (TELs) and electronic warfare systems were primarily transported via Russian military cargo aircraft. Aircraft identified in these transfers include the Ilyushin Il-76MD and Antonov AN-124, operated by the Russian Command of Military Transport Aviation (VTA) and Joint Stock Company the 224th Flight Unit State Airlines. Image Source: Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) report via an MSMT participating state In a strategic technological exchange, Russia is reported to have provided North Korea with air defence systems, including short-range weapons, advanced jamming equipment and at least one Pantsir-class combat vehicle. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Pantsir system significantly enhances North Korea's defence capabilities by providing protection against a variety of aerial threats. Russia has also shared operational data on missile performance, which has helped North Korea fine-tune the guidance systems of its ballistic missiles. Image Source: Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) report via an MSMT participating state The MSMT report highlights that such information exchange enables Pyongyang to 'fund its military programmes and further develop its ballistic missiles programmes, which are themselves prohibited under multiple (UN Security Council resolutions), and gain first-hand experience in modern warfare.' Kim's 'gifts' to Putin North Korea's support for Russia hasn't been limited to military hardware and troops. In 2024, Pyongyang requested 8,000 labour visas for its workers, intending to send them to Russia for construction and forestry work. Between December 2024 and February 2025, 481 North Korean labourers were reportedly dispatched — 198 for the construction sector and 283 for textile jobs. Further plans include the deployment of IT professionals and medical staff from North Korea to Russia, marking a broader economic integration effort between the two nations despite international sanctions. The report also outlines how Russia and North Korea have engaged in financial transactions designed to bypass UN restrictions. The two countries have been operating ruble-denominated accounts through sanctioned North Korean banks — the Foreign Trade Bank (FTB) and the Korea Kwangson Banking Corporation (KKBC) — via MRB Bank in the South Ossetia region of Georgia. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This financial collaboration violates Paragraph 33 of UN Security Council Resolution 2270 (2016), which bans financial institutions from maintaining relationships with North Korean banks unless approved by the Committee. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) also mandates such measures under its recommendations aimed at curbing proliferation financing. What MSMT nations are saying In response to the findings, the MSMT's member nations — Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States — issued a joint statement calling on North Korea to 'engage in meaningful diplomacy.' Meanwhile, concerns persist in the West about the growing depth of the Moscow-Pyongyang alliance. There are increasing fears that Russia may soon provide space and satellite technology to North Korea in return for sustained military support. Despite the denials from both Russia and North Korea regarding weapons transfers, their public commitment under a new bilateral defence pact to provide immediate military assistance in the event of an attack put their renewed level of trust and interdependence in the spotlight. While many of the materials and troops detailed in the MSMT report have already seen action in Ukraine, the report makes clear that this military cooperation is ongoing and likely to continue. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Also Watch:
Newsweek
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
NATO Troops on Russia's Border Are Trying Not to Think About Moscow
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Squinting against the rain, Swedish and Finnish soldiers looked on at a handful of Stockholm's 155 mm Archer howitzers blasting live shells across Europe's largest training area, Rovajärvi. Sprawled just over the line, carving out the Arctic Circle in Finland's northernmost region, Lapland, Rovajärvi has hosted Swedish and British troops learning how to fight together roughly 70 miles from Russia's northwestern border. A few miles from the Archers, British Army soldiers launched missiles from their M270 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), hitting targets just over 26 kilometers to the north in well under a minute, drones buzzing overhead to scope out the terrain. Slightly further afield in Sodankylä, the United Kingdom's newly filled-out fleet of upgraded Apache helicopters test-fired more than a dozen short-range Hellfire missiles. But soldiers representing three of NATO's members are putting Russia's proximity to one side during their stints in Rovajärvi and Sodankylä, those watching and carrying out the drills say. Standing in the sleet, Lieutenant Colonel Kimmo Ruotsalainen, the commander of an artillery regiment in Finland's Kainuu Brigade leading the Lapland drills, said the soldiers gathered in the Arctic had been focusing on smoothing out how they work together, rather than homing in on the specifics of the threat across the border. While "absolutely" designed with Russia in mind, Ruotsalainen said these exercises are about improving the sync between three of the alliance's members. "Everyone knows the importance, for example, of the Allied training together—defense forces training together—and reservists rehearsals," he told Newsweek. "They are not questioned at the moment," Ruotsalainen said. But when asked how Russia's presence is felt in Rovajärvi, he remarked, "It doesn't matter that much mentality-wise when we train, which is the threat." Finnish soldiers stand by a Soviet-era D-30 howitzer at Rovajärvi training area, northern Finland, on May 21, 2025. Finnish soldiers stand by a Soviet-era D-30 howitzer at Rovajärvi training area, northern Finland, on May 21, 2025. Ellie Cook "You cannot go on every day and think about it," one Swedish soldier at the exercises said. Finland, with its hundreds of years of fraught history with Russia, became a member of NATO little over a year after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. Sweden joined a year later. Helsinki's addition to the alliance doubled the length of Russia's land border with NATO. Moscow vowed to retaliate and has started intensive reforms of its forces in the northwest of the country, including expanding the military facilities a stone's throw from Finland and Estonia, a fellow NATO member just to the south of Helsinki. Military personnel on NATO's northeastern edge say they expect the Russian troops drained from these bases close to alliance soil to return once Moscow and Kyiv ink a ceasefire deal in negotiations pushed forcefully by the United States. Russia is a familiar threat on Finland's shoulder, far predating the bitter conflict in Ukraine, the country's soldiers say. "The Finns are used to living next door to Russia, so everything is focused on how they're going to defend Finland from Russia," Brigadier Nick English, commander of the British Army's 1st Aviation Brigade Combat Team deployed to Lapland, told Newsweek. "That makes it real in a way that it isn't if you're training in the U.K.," he said. "We're all aware of it," said Alfie Giles, a 19-year-old British Army air trooper working with the Apache attack helicopters in Sodankylä. "We're just here to exercise with our NATO allies." But the Russia of the last few decades will not be the same country or military force that emerges from the trenches of Ukraine. The Kremlin's plans to swell the number of active troops to 1.5 million will make Russia the second-largest military in the world—a battle-hardened force on the cutting edge of drone development, supported by tried-and-tested next-generation hypersonic weapons that NATO currently doesn't have. Estonia's foreign intelligence service warned last year that NATO could stare down a "Soviet-style mass army that, while technologically inferior to the allies, poses a significant threat due to its size, firepower and reserves" by the mid-2030s. Denmark's Defense Intelligence Service said in February it expected Russia to be able to wage a "large-scale war" against NATO in the next five years if the U.S. declines to be involved. The Finnish exercises, dubbed Northern Strike 125, are part of a set of drills across the eastern edge of NATO territory, sweeping down from Scandinavia, through the Baltic States pressed up against Russia and Belarus and further south. "From the skies over Poland, to the northern reaches of Finland the U.K. is standing shoulder to shoulder with our allies in leading the way in defending NATO's eastern flank," said British armed forces minister Luke Pollard. "I would anticipate future activity both here and across the Baltic States," British Army Major Joe Wooldridge told Newsweek.
Pink Villa
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
'Stop stealing': BTS ARMY slams HYBE for using RM's FESTA concept to promote SEVENTEEN ahead of June reunion
As the years turn into months, months into weeks, and weeks into days, the anticipation surrounding BTS's long-awaited return continues to grow stronger. The end of their military hiatus is no longer a distant dream—it's right around the corner. From celebratory messages like 'Congratulations BTS' to exciting countdowns such as D-30 and D-20, ARMYs are eagerly awaiting the moment their beloved Bangtan Boys reunite. After nearly three years apart, the reunion begins this June. RM and V are set to be discharged on June 10 and 11, respectively, with Jimin and Jungkook already home. SUGA will complete the final chapter of enlistments by returning on June 21, 2025, officially reuniting all seven members. However, amid this joyful anticipation, a wave of frustration has swept through the fandom. On May 22, BTS ARMY took to social media after spotting a large new slogan draped across HYBE's Yongsan building. The message, promoting SEVENTEEN, reads: 'SEVENTEEN WILL CHALLENGE ETERNITY.' This new banner replaced BTS' long-standing and iconic slogan, 'BTS PRESENTS EVERYWHERE,' just weeks before the group's homecoming and purple month. Outraged fans accused HYBE of insensitivity and even theft, claiming the new slogan borrows heavily from an idea that BTS—particularly RM, had discussed for their 10th anniversary. ARMYs flooded platforms like Twitter and Instagram with criticism, expressing disappointment and anger. One fan vented, 'That's so disgusting, I don't care abt anything, but here HYBE labels stole Namjoon's idea, HYBE.' Another echoed, 'It was Namjoon's unique idea to display afbf on the HYBE building. It's been done on a building built by BTS' success, on BTS' personal request.' A third demanded, 'HYBE better rip off that SVT label before June starts.' Questioning the company's decision, another user asked, 'So HYBE replaced 'BTS represents everywhere' with a slogan for a group that wouldn't even be here without BTS opening the doors?' Adding to the chorus, an ARMY shared, 'This better be gone by June 1st like that's purple month.' So why is SEVENTEEN's (SVT) slogan there in the first place? The explanation lies in SEVENTEEN's upcoming 10th anniversary, which falls on May 26, 2025. As part of their promotional campaign, the group has taken over the HYBE building's facade with the new banner. SEVENTEEN fans, known as CARAT, defended the move. One CARAT commented, 'Seventeen has always done this when they release a new album. Now that they're part of HYBE, it just happens to take place in that building. They're not offending or disrespecting anyone. BTS has always shown love and respect for other groups, so why this behavior?' Another added, 'Chill guys, it's their Anniversary coming—calm down.' While tensions remain high between the fandom and HYBE, it's important to remember that BTS and SEVENTEEN have long shared mutual respect. Despite the controversy, it's likely the artists themselves remain supportive of one another behind the scenes.
Telegraph
04-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
How Ukraine plans to survive when the US steps back
On a sunny afternoon near the eastern front, a Ukrainian artillery crew show off their stockpile for a D-30 howitzer. The ammunition is 152mm, Soviet-calibre, but the manufacturers are not. The shells are brand new. When US deliveries froze and the front lines wavered in winter 2024, Ukraine had already been producing, purchasing and sourcing weapons – sometimes on its own, sometimes with the backing of its allies – preparing a back-up plan for the day that vital American military aid stopped flowing. With the last US packages signed off by Joe Biden expected to expire before summer, that eventuality is on the horizon. Many see the long-delayed minerals deal signed this week between Kyiv and Washington as a potential route to unlock fresh US weapons. But the agreement offered no American security or aid guarantees. And although the Trump administration informed Congress of its intention to approve arms exports worth at least $50 million (£37 million) to Ukraine on Wednesday, Ukraine and its European allies know that American assistance will not last forever. Mykola Bielieskov, a senior analyst at the Kyiv-based National Institute for Strategic Studies, told The Telegraph: 'I guess there's one thing people miss when discussing US blackmail over aid right now. 'In all plausible scenarios, assistance will eventually end – even if Ukraine accepts the US peace framework. So what would be the point of agreeing to such a deal if there would be no aid left?' If the American weapons don't start flowing again, Ukraine will face serious challenges. Exactly how severe remains the great unknown. It is a complex equation that Volodymyr Zelensky and his aides have been working to solve since 2023. Following its failed summer counter-offensive and Russia's push from Avdiivka, Kyiv made a decision: to bet on itself. It laid the first foundations of a strategy built for survival. Unlike its Western partners, Ukraine set its sights on the long game. A glimpse of future warfare 'The battlefield evolves every six months – that's what makes this war different from others,' says Oleksandr Yarmak, a sergeant in the Ukrainian army's unmanned systems forces. 'That speed of innovation gives us the edge over the enemy.' Simple and complex at the same time: the very same factors that make victory difficult also prevent defeat. The American guns and the shells remain vital, but no longer dictate the fight. Drones have taken much of their place. Last year, Ukraine produced more than two million FPVs and thousands more designed to strike high-value targets – including ammunition stockpiles and oil depots – at distances of up to 1,700km (1,050 miles), roughly the span between London and Warsaw. Using its new arsenal of unmanned vehicles, Ukraine is building a nine-mile wide kill zone along the front line, crippling Russian logistics and slowing their advance. It is one of the reasons why Vladimir Putin 's assault troops have recently stalled in eastern Ukraine. It is a glimpse of future warfare. The growing robot army operates on the ground, in the sea and air, is able to strike, mine, evacuate, supply and even be used as a simple repeater to extend other machines' range. Units like the 13th Brigade of the National Guard have carried out drone-only assaults on the northern border with Russia. Money, money, money Kyiv's second great dilemma is how to keep funding its war effort. In 2024, around 30 per cent of Ukraine's defence production was funded by the United States, another 30 per cent by Europe, and the remainder by Ukraine itself, according to Mr Zelensky. With the White House proving increasingly unpredictable, Kyiv and its allies need to step up. Brussels is prioritising the search for Patriot launchers and missiles. Yet, the Trump administration is obstructing military purchases, an EU official told The Telegraph. The alternatives are French and Italian systems that need better radar to protect cities and critical infrastructure from Russian attacks. But air defences alone will not be enough to win the war. For the first time since the full-scale invasion began, Ukraine is facing a situation of overfunding – with more money available than real opportunities to buy. Allied countries decided to solve the problem through the 'Danish model': directly financing Ukraine's domestic defence production. One of the latest announcements came in early April, when £850 million from the profits of frozen Russian assets was earmarked to keep Ukraine's defence sector running. Cheaper, faster and free of intermediaries, the model allows Kyiv to scale up domestic production at a speed no Western supplier could match. And the impact is already being felt. At least 18 of the 154 Bohdana howitzers produced last year were funded by Copenhagen under this scheme. Recent data suggest Kyiv is now producing 36 a month, three times more. Eighty-five per cent of their components are already manufactured in Ukraine. The third pillar of Ukraine's strategy is to bring foreign defence firms directly into the country, turning the battlefield into a workshop. Britain's BAE Systems is already repairing armoured vehicles and howitzers on the ground. Germany's Rheinmetall, which produces globally more 155mm shells than the entire United States, also plans to open new facilities in Ukraine to maintain Leopard tanks and German artillery systems. Andrii Koropatva, the chief executive of Ancestor, a defence start-up developing swarm drone software, said: 'If you're not in Ukraine, you don't exist.' Similar deals are being signed almost weekly in Kyiv. Building the arsenal of the free world Yet these steps often slip beneath the radar, overshadowed by Donald Trump 's moves. They are part of a coherent strategy Ukraine has been building since 2023: to become 'the arsenal of the free world'. But critical vulnerabilities remain. The lack of US aid would hit Ukraine hardest in two key areas: intelligence sharing and air defence. 'There is no Ukrainian substitute for either. Europe cannot fully compensate, but it could take the risk of using up more of its stocks,' says Mr Bielieskov.
