Defense expert casts doubt on potential impact of purported North Korean arms support for Russia
Intelligence reports say North Korea has intensified arms supplies to Russia, both by sea and by rail, but it is difficult to judge the quality of these weapons, former Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zahorodnyuk has said on Radio NV.
Speaking to Radio NV on Oct. 19, Zahorodnyuk, now the Chairman of the Board of the Center for Defense Strategies, said no one has real data on the state of North Korea's weapons and military equipment, as it is an extremely closed country.
"We know that they have a large amount of weapons and military equipment from the Soviet era, and they transferred this to China in the Soviet Union era," Zahorodnyuk said.
“We understand that they have a large amount of ammunition, which was stored in warehouses. So technically, they have stuff to send to Russia. But the question is: what is its condition and to what extent have they actually agreed? We don't know.”
Asked how much these supplies could affect Russia's ability to fight in Ukraine, the former minister replied: "I don't think it will have a dramatic impact."
U.S. analysts wrote that after Russian dictator Vladimir Putin met with his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un on Sept. 13, Pyongyang sharply increased its cargo transportation to Russia.
The media reported that North Korea was handing over artillery shells and Katyusha rockets to Moscow.
In fact, widely published satellite imagery provides evidence of extensive shipments of North Korean cargoes, probably weapons, to Russia in recent weeks, according to military experts and analysts.
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