Latest news with #MultilateralSanctionsMonitoringTeam
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Ukraine war briefing: Flood of North Korean arms to Russia, say US, Japan and others
North Korea has supplied to Russia as many as nine million rounds of artillery and rocket launcher ammunition, as well as at least 100 ballistic missiles along with self-propelled artillery guns and long-range multiple rocket launchers, according to the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team, a group comprising 11 UN members. The shipments have enabled Russia to increase attacks against civilian targets, and there have been 20,000 containers of the gear transferred by Russian cargo ships, in violation of UN sanctions. The monitoring group comprises the US, South Korea, Japan, and eight other UN member states. It was set up after Russia and China cooperated to scrap an official security council panel that did the job. The multilateral group has said in its first ever report that Russia is helping North Korea improve its missiles' guidance systems by sending back data from the battlefield. Moscow also provided air defence equipment, anti-aircraft missiles and electronic warfare systems to North Korea. 'At least for the foreseeable future, North Korea and Russia intend to continue and further deepen their military cooperation in contravention of relevant UN security council resolutions.' After months of silence, North Korea and Russia confirmed in April that North Korean troops have been fighting on the Russian side in the Ukraine war. Russia's SVR intelligence service has complained about Serbian ammunition ending up in Ukrainian hands via other countries when Moscow expects Belgrade's 'fraternal Slavic' obedience. The SVR alleges the trail leads to Ukraine through the Czech Republic, Poland and Bulgaria. Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vucic, told RTS television that he had discussed the exports with Vladimir Putin and the two countries would form a 'working group' about it. But Vucic added that Serbia was criticised by both the east and west 'because it leads autonomous and independent policies … Our factories must live and work. About 24,000 people work directly in the defence industry, and they depend on this industry.' Vucic has previously said that once the ammunition is sold to another country, he does not care where it goes next. At the United Nations, the US told the security council on Thursday that its proposal for a 30-day comprehensive ceasefire was 'Russia's best possible outcome' and Vladimir Putin should take it. 'We want to work with Russia, including on this peace initiative and an economic package. There is no military solution to this conflict,' acting US ambassador John Kelley told the council. Russia is supposed to put forward a memorandum of its terms for peace but is refusing to do hand it over – demanding a further meeting with Ukraine, which says it has already sent its conditions. Kelley condemned Russia's recent attacks on Ukraine as not demonstrating 'a desire for peace'. 'We will judge Russia's seriousness towards ending the war, not only by the contents of that term sheet, but more importantly, by Russia's actions … Additional sanctions on Russia are still on the table.' Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Russia was engaging in 'yet another deception' by failing to hand over its peace settlement proposal ahead of their potential next meeting in Turkey on 2 June. 'Even the so-called memorandum they promised and seemingly prepared for more than a week has still not been seen by anyone … despite promises to the contrary, first and foremost to the United States of America, to President Trump. Yet another Russian deception.' Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said that without being able to review Russia's memorandum, Kyiv would conclude 'it is likely filled with unrealistic ultimatums, and they are afraid of revealing that they are stalling the peace process'. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan – president of Turkey which would again host the talks – called on Russia and Ukraine not to 'shut the door' on dialogue. 'The road to a resolution goes through more dialogue, more diplomacy. We are using all our diplomatic power and potential for peace,' he said, according to his office.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Ukrainian cities ‘terrorised' by North Korean weapons in Russian hands
Russian forces have used North Korean weapons to intensify missile attacks against critical civilian infrastructure in Ukraine and 'terrorised' entire cities, according to a report by UN members that reveals the extent of Moscow's dependence on the regime in Pyongyang. The Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team, comprising 11 countries including the US, Britain, EU states and Japan, said Kim Jong-un's dictatorship had supplied Russia with more than 20,000 containers of munitions since September 2023. The team said the evidence it had gathered showed that North Korea and Russia had engaged in 'myriad unlawful activities' prohibited by UN sanctions resolutions. In June 2024, Kim, the North Korean ruler, and Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty that commits the two countries to come to each other's aid if attacked. In its first report since it was formed in 2024 to monitor UN sanctions triggered by the North's nuclear weapons programme, the group said as many as nine million rounds of artillery and rocket launcher ammunition had been shipped from North Korea to Russia. Related: Ukraine war briefing: Flood of North Korean arms to Russia, say US, Japan and others 'At least for the foreseeable future, North Korea and Russia intend to continue and further deepen their military cooperation in contravention of relevant UN security council resolutions,' the monitoring team said. North Korea had also 'contributed to Moscow's ability to increase its missile attacks against Ukrainian cities, including targeted strikes against critical civilian infrastructure'. North Korea is seeking Russian help with its troubled spy satellite programme in return for providing military aid, including thousands of soldiers. It has also sent Russia powerful weapons. Since it started shipping ammunition to Russia in September 2023, the North has transferred at least 100 ballistic missiles, self-propelled artillery guns, long-range multiple rocket launchers and munitions, according to the report. The report said North Korea had transferred the arms and other items by sea, air and rail. North Korean ballistic missiles were being used 'to destroy civilian infrastructure and terrorise populated areas such as Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia', it said. The Kremlin has reciprocated by helping Pyongyang with its ballistic missile programmes through the provision of data feedback based on the weapons' performance in the Ukraine war. This, the report said, had led to 'improvements in missile guidance performance'. Moscow had also provided air defence equipment and anti-aircraft missiles, as well as electronic warfare systems to North Korea, it said. The estimated 11,000 North Korean soldiers sent to fight in the war with Ukraine last year have also gained first-hand battlefield experience, to the alarm of officials in South Korea. The report noted that a further 3,000 reinforcements had been dispatched recently. The 11-member monitor group was set up after Russia vetoed a resolution in March 2024 that would have seen a UN security council panel of experts continue monitoring North Korea for violation of sanctions. Kim and Putin last month confirmed for the first time that North Korea had sent troops to fight for Russia in the war with Ukraine, describing them as 'heroes'.
NBC News
a day ago
- Politics
- NBC News
North Korea has deployed thousands of troops to help Russia 'terrorize Ukraine,' report finds
Russia has deployed thousands of North Korean soldiers and weaponry to 'terrorize' Ukraine, according to a new report by members of the United Nations which reveals a 'myriad of unlawful activities,' and exposes Moscow's reliance on the isolated regime. The Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), comprising 11 U.N. member states including the U.S., the United Kingdom, and Japan, said that Kim Jong-un's regime supplied over 11,000 troops, at least 100 ballistic missiles, and "as many as 9 million rounds of mixed artillery and multiple rocket launcher ammunition' in 2024. This 'unlawful cooperation' contributed 'to Moscow's ability to increase its missile attacks against Ukrainian cities, including targeted strikes on critical civilian infrastructure,' the report, published Thursday, said. It also estimated that North Korea had deployed an additional 3,000 troops to Russia between January and March 2025. Moscow, the report said, is reciprocating by supporting Pyongyang's ballistic missile programs, leading to 'improvements in missile guidance performance.' Russia is believed to have supplied North Korea with 'air defense equipment, anti-aircraft missiles, as well as advanced electronic warfare equipment,' it added. The evidence shows that North Korea and Russia had engaged in numerous violations of United Nations Security Council Resolutions, including arms transfers, Russian training of North Korean forces, and supplying North Korea with refined petroleum beyond UNSC limits, the MSMT said. 'At least for the foreseeable future, North Korea and Russia intend to continue and further deepen their military cooperation in contravention of relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions,' it said. North Korea confirmed for the first time in April that its troops were fighting alongside Russian forces in the war against Ukraine, saying they had helped Moscow take back control of the Kursk region. Kim Jong-un ordered the troops' deployment under a mutual defense pact that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed in June 2024, North Korea's Central Military Commission said in a statement that was carried by state-run news agency KCNA. The treaty includes a pledge of mutual defense if either country is attacked. The statement said the operation to regain control of Kursk had been 'victoriously concluded' and that it was 'an honor to have an alliance with such a powerful state as the Russian Federation.' 'They who fought for justice are all heroes and representatives of the honor of the motherland,' Kim was quoted as saying. Putin said in April that North Korea had 'acted on a sense of solidarity, justice and genuine comradeship.' Both North Korea and Russia have denied any transfer of arms. The MSMT report arrives as Russian missile and drone strikes continue across Ukraine, amid uncertainty over whether Kyiv diplomats will participate in a new round of peace talks proposed by Moscow for early next week in Istanbul. Moscow says it is ready for peace talks while the fighting goes on, and wants to discuss what it calls the war's 'root causes,' including its demands Ukraine cede more territory, and be disarmed and barred from military alliances with the West. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides are believed to have been wounded or killed in Europe's deadliest war since World War II, although neither side publishes accurate casualty figures. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians have also died as Russian forces have besieged and bombarded Ukrainian cities. Russian attacks killed at least two people, including a 9-year-old girl, Ukrainian officials said Saturday. The country's air force reported that Russian forces launched around 109 drones and five missiles overnight and into Saturday. It came after Andrii Yermak, a senior adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, announced on Friday that Kyiv is prepared to resume direct peace negotiations with Russia in Istanbul on Monday, but said the Kremlin must first deliver a promised memorandum outlining its stance on ending the more than three-year conflict. Russia, which launched the war by invading its neighbor in 2022 and now occupies about a fifth of Ukraine, says it will not pause its assaults until conditions are met first. The Kremlin has demanded that Ukraine never join NATO, accept permanent 'neutrality' between Moscow and the West, and cede its demand for four territories in the east of the country that Russia illegally annexed months after the war began.
NDTV
2 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
100 Ballistic Missiles, Rocket Launchers. What N Korea Gave Russia: Report
New Delhi: Between September 2023 and December 2024 North Korea gave Russia over 100 ballistic missiles and as much as nine million rounds of ammunition to support various weapons systems, including artillery shells and rockets, for use in Moscow's war against Ukraine, an 11-member international watchdog monitoring sanctions against Pyongyang said Thursday. The missiles and military support, which included deployment of 14,000 soldiers and three heavy artillery units, helped Moscow "terrorise" Ukraine and "destroy civilian infrastructure and populated areas like Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia", the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team said. In return, the MSMT report said, Moscow may have supplied Pyongyang with advanced electronic warfare systems and at least one Pantsir, which is a mobile air defence system designed to target aircraft, cruise missiles, precision munitions, and UAVs, or unmanned aerial vehicles. Arms transfers both ways were conducted under the cover of Russian cargo ships. Moscow also supported Pyongyang's missile development programme by sharing data from ballistic missiles used to destroy civilian targets in Kyiv and other cities, the report said. And North Korea has also been supplied with refined petroleum products, which helps Russia bypass financial sanctions imposed to stifle funding to further its war on Ukraine. That North Korea has supplied Russia with soldiers had been confirmed earlier, and that it had also provided weapons and munitions had been inferred in 2024 from American intelligence. In September 2024 South Korean intelligence made the same inference. The MSMT report, however, emphasises the scale of transfers that "marks a dangerous expansion of the war". Violations of United Nations Security Council Resolutions on North Korea and Russia individually, and on military cooperation between the two, have been flagged. North Korea has been under a UN arms embargo since it tested a nuclear bomb in 2006. The UN Security Council Resolutions, in fact, were passed with approval from Russia. The two have, though, strengthened military ties since the invasion of Ukraine, signing a Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in June 2024, when Vladimir Putin visited N Korea. Article 4 of that treaty specifies the provision of military assistance if either nation is "put in a state of war by an armed invasion", in line, ironically, with sections of the UN Charter. Neither Russia nor N Korea have responded to the MSMT report as yet. Both have formally denied any transfer of arms. What Is The MSMT? The MSMT is the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea, and was set up in October 2024. It was formed after Russia last year vetoed renewing a United Nations-appointed panel of experts that had been monitoring implementation and violations of sanctions against N Korea. Its 30-page report contained analysis of Hwasong-11A short-range ballistic missile debris from Ukraine, as well as information about recovered rocket launcher ammunition and anti-tank missiles, and photographs of North Korean weapons systems being transported through Russia. The report cited information from UK-based Conflict Armament Research and Open Source Centre, as well as findings from member states. Weapons From N Korea To Russia Arms transfers from North Korea to Russia since late 2023 (Moscow's invasion began February 2022) has consisted of "over 20,000 containers of munitions and related material... including 82mm, 122mm, 130mm, 152mm, and 170mm munitions to support various weapons systems... " Photo from MSMT report dated May 29, 2025 "Russian-flagged cargo vessels delivered as many as nine million rounds of mixed artillery and multiple rocket launcher ammunition... in 49 shipments from January 1 to mid-December 2024." According to open source information cited by the MSMT, Russian ships also delivered up to six million rounds of ammo - artillery shells and rockets - between August 2023 and March 2024. Debris from these and other North Korea-provided munitions, have been recovered from missiles that hit Ukraine cities, including Kharkiv in January 2024 and Bila Tserkva, Vitrova Balka, and Rozhivka in August 2024. Kyiv has said about a third of recent missile strikes involve N Korean weapons. Photo from MSMT report dated May 29, 2025 Transfer of the Hwasong-11 series ballistic missile is in violation of another UN Security Council Resolution. In fact, Pyongyang is banned from any activity to do with ballistic missiles. Intel from a participating MSMT state also indicated Moscow had trained North Korean troops and deployed them to the Kursk Oblast, where "they began engaging in combat operations..." "Web Of Illicit Activity" Overall, the MSMT has claimed "a myriad unlawful activities" between the two countries. These reportedly include Russia helping North Korean evade scrutiny from the Financial Action Task Force, the global anti-terror funding watchdog. The FATF, incidentally, has been re-approached by India over Pakistan continuing to fund cross-border terrorism. The watchdog has warned the global community the fact that Russia and N Korea have defied, and continue to defy, sanctions indicates a new challenge for enforcement of international law. It has offered a list of eight recommendations to counter the emerging alliance and violation of sanctions, including monitoring of financial transactions (the FATF's remit) and increased inspection of movement of 'designated people' to and from the two countries.
Euronews
2 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Russia and North Korea violate UN sanctions in Ukraine, report says
Western allies have accused Russia and North Korea of flagrantly breaching UN sanctions through close military cooperation that has enabled Moscow to intensify its missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, as its all-out war continues into its fourth year. The joint condemnation was part of the first report issued by the newly formed Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team, which has been tasked with tracking Pyongyang's sanctions violations since last year. The 29-page document, compiled by the US, the UK, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Australia, Italy, the Netherlands and New Zealand, asserts that Pyongyang and Moscow have carried out many 'unlawful activities' prohibited by existing UN resolutions. North Korea has supplied Russia with weapons and military equipment, including ballistic missiles, artillery shells and armoured vehicles for use in Moscow's war against Ukraine, according to the report. Citing intelligence from an unnamed country, the monitoring team said that as many as nine million artillery and rocket rounds were delivered from North Korea to Russia last year in Russian-flagged cargo ships. It also confirmed the transfer of at least 100 ballistic missiles, which were launched into Ukraine 'to destroy civilian infrastructure and terrorise populated areas such as Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia". Photographic evidence in the report shows ammunition containers, artillery systems and anti-tank weapons believed to have been manufactured in North Korea and recovered in Ukraine. Pyongyang's support has 'contributed to Moscow's ability to increase its missile attacks against Ukrainian cities including targeted strikes against critical civilian infrastructure", the coalition said. The report further states that more than 11,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia since October 2024, gaining battlefield experience while supporting Russia's war effort. In return for such help, Russia is said to have transferred air defence systems to North Korea, trained its troops and provided petroleum products far beyond the UN-mandated cap. The monitoring team, which urged Pyongyang to 'engage in meaningful diplomacy", warned that both countries appear intent on deepening their military alliance. UN sanctions against North Korea began in 2006 following its first nuclear test, and were expanded through a series of resolutions aimed at restricting funding for its weapons programmes. The last such resolution was adopted in 2017. Since then, Russia and China have blocked further action, including a 2022 US-led push to impose new sanctions in response to North Korea's missile launches. The so-called Islamic State (IS) group has claimed responsibility for two attacks in southern Syria, including one on government forces that a war monitor described as the first on the Syrian army since the fall of long-time president Bashar al-Assad. The so-called IS group said in a statement that in one attack, a bomb targeting a "vehicle of the apostate regime" detonated, leaving seven soldiers dead or wounded. It said the attack occurred "last Thursday," in the al-Safa area in the southern province of Sweida. In a separate statement, the group said another bomb attack occurred this week, targeting members of the US-backed Free Syrian Army. It claimed that one fighter was killed and three others wounded in that attack. Syria's interim government hasn't commented on either of these claims and a spokesperson for the Free Syrian Army didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack on government forces killed one civilian and wounded three soldiers, describing it as the first such attack to be claimed by the IS group against Syrian forces since the 54-year rule by the al-Assad family ended in December. The extremist group, which once controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq, is opposed to the new authority in Damascus led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was once the head of al-Qaeda's Syria branch, which fought battles against it. Over the past several months, the IS group has claimed responsibility for attacks against the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the northeast. The IS group was defeated in Syria in March 2019 when SDF fighters captured the last sliver of land that the extremists controlled. Since then, its sleeper cells have carried out deadly attacks, mainly in eastern and northeast Syria. In January, state media reported that intelligence officials in Syria's post-al-Assad government thwarted a plan by the group to set off a bomb at a Shiite Muslim shrine south of Damascus. Al-Sharra met with US President Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia earlier this month, when the American leader said that Washington would work on lifting crippling economic sanctions imposed on Damascus since the days of al-Assad. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement after the meeting that Trump urged al-Sharaa to diplomatically recognise Israel, "tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria" and help the US stop any resurgence of the IS group. Parallel to this, earlier this week the European Union lifted most sanctions on Syria but slapped new ones on people and groups it says participated in attacks on civilians during a wave of violence in the coastal region in March. The EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas had announced plans to lift the sanctions last week, but warned the move was "conditional" and that sanctions could be resumed if the new government doesn't keep the peace.
