Weapons in Transit? Russian Ships Transporting North Korean Cargo Under Scrutiny

Amid claims that North Korea has supplied weapons to Russia, satellite images of Russian ships carrying cargo from North Korea have been revealed.

The Guardian reported on the 22nd (local time) that such satellite images are included in the undisclosed defense information report submitted by the UK Ministry of Defense to the UN Expert Panel.

According to this report, three Russian ships (Maia, Angara, Mariya) were captured in satellite images loading containers at Najin Port in North Korea from September to December last year and returning to ports in the Far East region of Russia.

The UK Ministry of Defense stated they could not confirm what was inside the containers.

However, The Guardian reported that the U.S. announced last week that Russia used North Korean ballistic missiles on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin also confirmed that this ballistic missile was a North Korean KN-23 missile.

The KN-23, also known as the “North Korean version of Iskander,” is a short-range ballistic missile that performs irregular maneuvers in the final stage of flight, with a maximum range of up to 497 miles.

Russia and North Korea have been maintaining a close relationship recently.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choi Son Hui visited Russia from the 15th to the 17th, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and discussed strengthening strategic and tactical cooperation between the two countries. It has been reported that President Putin is currently arranging a schedule for visiting North Korea.