Latest news with #UAVs
NDTV
17 hours 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.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Russia's deadly drone industry upgraded with Iran's help, report says
The partnership between Iran and Russia to produce Iranian-designed drones on Russian soil has deepened military ties between the two heavily sanctioned states and substantially boosted Russia's domestic drone industry, according to a report released Thursday. In the two years since Moscow struck a deal with Tehran to exchange technology and set up production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Russia's Tatarstan region, Russia has been able to vastly increase its capability for domestic drone production and has used it to pummel Ukrainian cities with hundreds of UAVs a day.
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Russia's Reward to North Korea for Troops Revealed
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. Russia has given North Korea (DPRK) at least one of its Pantsir-class combat vehicles in a package of military hardware and support to advance Pyongyang's capabilities following its aiding of Moscow's war with Ukraine, a report has found. The Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), established by 11 allied countries, including the U.S. and South Korea, has published its first report on the sanctions-evading cooperation between Russia and North Korea. It accused the two countries of having "engaged in [a] myriad of unlawful activities explicitly prohibited" under United Nations Security Council resolutions. "These violations threaten international peace and security," the report said. Russia and North Korea entered into a partnership in 2024 that has seen Pyongyang provide Moscow with 11,000 fighting troops and millions of munitions. Now, North Korea's rewards are being revealed. The report said Russia had transferred to North Korea a Pantsir mobile air defense system, which is "designed to target fixed and rotary wing-aircraft, cruise missiles, precision munitions, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)." "The deployment of the Pantsir provides the DPRK with a more modernized air defense system compared to its current inventory of legacy Russian systems and its domestically-produced systems that have yet to be deployed," it said. Russia has also given North Korea advanced electronic warfare systems, including jamming equipment, and supported North Korea's ballistic missile programs by providing data feedback on ballistic missiles, leading to improvements in missile guidance performance." This is a developing article. Updates to follow.
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Israel Lasers Intercept 'Dozens' of Drones in Major Leap
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. Israel's military used a high-powered laser to take out drones in combat, the Israeli Defense Ministry said, a significant step toward laser technology being used to intercept real-life threats on the battlefield. Two laser air defense systems have intercepted "dozens and dozens" of threats, most of which were unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched by Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah from Lebanon, retired Brigadier General Daniel Gold, the head of defense research and development for the Israeli Defense Ministry, told Newsweek. Israel first used a laser system in the early days of the war, Gold said. Israel launched a full-scale war on Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza following the organization's unprecedented October 7 attacks in 2023, and battled Hamas-aligned Hezbollah over Israel's northern border until a fragile ceasefire ended full-scale hostilities in November 2024. Israel is one of several countries developing high-powered lasers to take out threats in the sky, most suited to intercepting cheap drones that would be incredibly expensive to shoot down with interceptor missiles. Israel has used a laser directed-energy system to intercept real-life targets for the first time, according to the Israeli government. Israel has used a laser directed-energy system to intercept real-life targets for the first time, according to the Israeli government. Israel Ministry of Defense While costing almost nothing to fire, the setup costs for these laser systems are huge. But interceptor missiles for Israel's vaunted Iron Dome short-range air defense system cost tens of thousands of dollars each, racking up an eye-watering bill when defending against high numbers of targets. Analysts say lasers, a type of directed energy weapon, can be very useful as part of a larger web of air defenses, able to knock out smaller, slower targets but vulnerable to bad weather conditions. The U.S. military said in 2024 the Army had used lasers to intercept drones in the Middle East, but did not provide further details. The U.S. military has tested directed energy weapons in the Middle East, the commander of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), General Michael Erik Kurilla, separately told lawmakers back in March 2024. The Israeli Defense Ministry said the government, military and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems—Israel's state-owned defense giant—had accelerated the development of "revolutionary" systems and achieved "outstanding" results. It is a "major milestone," Gold said. Rafael's chairman, Yuval Steinitz, said Israel was the "first country in the world to transform high-power laser technology into a fully operational system—and to execute actual combat interceptions." Rafael is also building the Iron Beam laser system, expected to come into service in the latter half of the year. "This system will fundamentally change the defense equation by enabling fast, precise, cost-effective interceptions, unmatched by any existing system," said Rafael chief executive, Yoav Tourgeman. The two deployed laser systems are lower-powered, more mobile and slightly less costly than the Iron Beam, Gold said. The Israeli government published footage it said showed the laser systems in action during the war. One clip looks to show at least one fixed-wing drone falling from the air after one of the wings is damaged by a laser. The footage is "entirely plausible," said David Hambling, a U.K.-based weapons and technology expert. "Drones are great targets for lasers because they are much smaller and more fragile than crewed aircraft and generally fly at slow speed without evading," he told Newsweek. "This make sit possible to focus a laser on one for long enough to burn through the skin and cause real damage, which is exactly what the video appears to show." But with drone technology evolving at a rapid pace, they could end up fitted with countermeasures to make it much harder for lasers to intercept these targets, Hambling suggested. The U.K. military said in April that British soldiers had used an "invisible radio-wave weapon" to knock out swarms of drones for the first time. Radio waves can be used as another type of directed energy weapon. The U.K. is also developing a laser-directed energy weapon dubbed DragonFire.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Turkey, Belgium to join drone coalition for Ukraine
Turkey and Belgium are set to join the international Drone Coalition supporting Ukraine, Latvia's Defense Minister Andris Spruds announced on May 28 during the Drone Summit in Riga. The coalition, co-led by Latvia and the United Kingdom, is expected to allocate 2.75 billion euros ($3.1 billion) in 2025 to support Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression. "The international Drone Coalition is becoming increasingly stronger — we will be able to deliver more drones to Ukraine while simultaneously strengthening the defense industries of Latvia, the EU, and NATO countries," Spruds said. "Our strength lies in unity." With the addition of Belgium and Turkey, the Drone Coalition will grow to 20 member states. The coalition, officially launched in February 2024, includes countries such as the U.K., Germany, Canada, France, Poland, Sweden, and Ukraine, among others. Each new member must be approved by existing coalition states, according to the memorandum of understanding. Since its inception, the coalition has committed a total of 4.5 billion euros ($5 billion) in aid to Ukraine over two years, including 1.8 billion euros ($2 billion) in 2024 and the planned 2.75 billion euros ($3.1 billion) for 2025. The Drone Coalition plays crucial role in supporting Ukraine's use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which have become key in targeting Russian military infrastructure, including airfields, oil depots, and logistics hubs deep inside Russian territory. In March, the coalition allocated 20 million euros ($22.5 million) from a joint fund to procure tactical reconnaissance drones for Ukraine, following an urgent request from Kyiv. The coalition complements Ukraine's domestic initiatives such as the "Drone Line," launched in February, which aims to accelerate battlefield drone deployment. Read also: Ukrainian drones hit Russian cruise missile factory, SBU source says, in one of largest reported strikes of full-scale war We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
