The Russian Ministry of Defense is in the process of purchasing millions of rockets and artillery shells from North Korea, a United States official confirmed Tuesday.
The weapons will be used on the battlefield in Ukraine, the official told the Washington Examiner on the condition of anonymity, adding that it shows that Russia still suffers from supply shortages as the war rolls into its seventh month.
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“This purchase indicates that the Russian military continues to suffer from severe supply shortages in Ukraine, due in part to export controls and sanctions,” the official said. “We expect Russia could try to purchase additional North Korean military equipment going forward.”
The official did not explain when the new weapons could reach the battlefield.
Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters on Tuesday that the Defense Department has not seen any intelligence to indicate Russia is going to additional countries for military replenishment. He declined to say whether this latest attempt was the first time it has seen intelligence to show a possible North Korea-Russia deal.
North Korea has hinted at expanding its relationship with Russia, including by sending construction workers to the Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine to help Russia rebuild. However, that and the military sale would violate United Nations resolutions placed against North Korea.
The new sale comes after Russia purchased drones from Iran last month to use in Ukraine. However, Russia has since faced technical problems with the Iranian drones, U.S. administration officials told the Washington Examiner last week.
“We assess that Russia intends to use these Iranian UAVs, which can conduct air-to-surface attacks, electronic warfare, and targeting, on the battlefield in Ukraine,” officials said at the time. “The Russian military is suffering from major supply shortages in Ukraine, in part because of sanctions and export controls, forcing Russia to rely on unreliable countries like Iran for supplies and equipment.”
The officials did not specify how many drones Russia has already transported, but they believe Russia intends “to import hundreds of Iranian UAVs of various types.”
Biden administration officials have repeatedly argued that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s need to go to Iran and North Korea demonstrates that Russia’s war is not going according to plan.
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“This information is relevant to the fight in the sense that, again, it’s indicative of the situation that Russia finds itself in and shows the fact that they’re trying to reach out to international actors like Iran and North Korea that don’t have the best record when it comes to international stability,” Ryder said.
The sale additionally follows a flurry of tests from North Korea on its ballistic missiles. The country has test-fired more than 30 ballistic missiles this year, including its first flights of intercontinental ballistic missiles since 2017.
