Russia is buying millions of artillery shells and rockets from North Korea, says New York Times with reference to the newly declassified American intelligence.
In addition to short-range missiles and artillery shells, russia is likely to purchase additional North Korean equipment. It is unclear how much the purchasing from North Korea has to do with the export controls, however. There is nothing high-tech in a 152-millimeter artillery shell or a Katyusha-style rocket that North Korea produces, said Frederick W. Kagan, a military expert at the American Enterprise Institute.
“The only reason the Kremlin should have to buy artillery shells or rockets from North Korea or anyone is because Putin has been unwilling or unable to mobilize the Russian economy for war at even the most basic level,” Mr. Kagan said.
Purchasing weapons from North Korea, which has been under sanctions for years, shows that western sanctions have restricted supply chains to russia and forced the Kremlin to turn to exile states.
US government officials say russia's decision to seek drones from Iran and missiles from North Korea is a sign that sanctions and export controls are preventing Moscow from getting supplies for the military.
“The Kremlin should be alarmed that it has to buy anything at all from North Korea,” said Mason Clark, who leads the russia team at the Institute for the Study of War.
Moscow had hoped that China would be willing to buck the export controls, however, while it was willing to buy russian oil at a discount, Beijing has not tried to sell to Moscow either military equipment or components.
Moscow, after the global sanctions for the war in Ukraine had been introduced, began to look for allies from the list of countries sponsoring terrorism, in particular, to replenish weapon losses. Last month, it became known that Moscow had purchased drones from Iran. The devices malfunctioned.