White House says North Korea secretly sent artillery to Russia

The White House has accused North Korea of ​​secretly sending “large quantities” of artillery shells to Russia to support its invasion of Ukraine.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. believed North Korea was “trying to make it appear as though they were being sent to a country in the Middle East or North Africa.”

He declined to provide specific estimates on the amount of ammunition sent to support Russia’s efforts.

Mr Kirby said North Korea was “secretly supplying” ammunition to Russia, but “we are still monitoring this to determine whether these shipments have actually been received”.

Mr Kirby insisted that North Korean shipments “would not change the course of the war”, citing Western efforts to supply Ukrainian troops.

The White House did not specify the mode of transportation or whether the United States or other countries would attempt to intercept shipments bound for Russia.

The White House disclosed the new intelligence nearly two months after it first claimed that U.S. intelligence officials had determined that the Russian Defense Ministry was buying millions of rockets and artillery shells from North Korea for use in the ongoing fighting in Ukraine.

Even if the administration disclosed information about North Korea’s clandestine delivery of artillery shells, the White House should downplay its importance.

“We don’t think their numbers will change the direction of this war or significantly change the momentum in the east or south”, where the fiercest fighting is taking place in Ukraine, Mr Kirby said.

The Biden administration said in August that the Russian military received hundreds of Iranian-made drones for use on the battlefield in Ukraine.

The Biden administration said Iran also sent personnel to Russian-controlled Crimea to provide technical support for the Russians to operate drones.

Iranian officials have denied providing Russia with drones or other support.