North Korea delivers 14,000 soldiers and 100 missiles to Russia

North Korea delivers 14,000 soldiers and 100 missiles to Russia

North Korea sent soldiers and millions of munitions, including rockets and projectiles, to Russia last year. That's according to a new report from an international monitoring panel that details the extent to which Pyongyang supported Moscow to "terrorize" Ukraine's population during the three-year war.

Level of military support

The report was released on Thursday by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), an initiative made up of 11 United Nations member states. It was launched after Russia forced the dissolution of a previous UN panel that monitored the implementation of sanctions against North Korea.

While some of the team's findings are well documented - such as sending North Korean troops to support Russia - the report details the staggering scale and quantity of weapons sent from Pyongyang since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This includes up to 9 million artillery shells and ammunition for 2024, more than 11,000 soldiers last year and another 3,000 soldiers in the first months of this year. It also delivered rocket launchers, vehicles, self-propelled guns and other heavy artillery, as well as at least 100 ballistic missiles, which were used in Ukraine to destroy civilian infrastructure and terrorize populated areas such as Kiev and Zaporizhia.

Illegal cooperation between North Korea and Russia

The report states: "These forms of unlawful cooperation between North Korea and Russia contributed to Moscow's ability to expand its missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, including targeted attacks on critical civilian infrastructure." In return, Russia provided North Korea with valuable military equipment and technologies, including air defense systems, anti-aircraft missiles, electronic warfare systems and refined oil.

Moscow also provided feedback on North Korea's ballistic missiles, which has improved the missile's capabilities. These actions "enable North Korea to fund its military programs and further develop its ballistic missile programs, which themselves are prohibited by multiple UN Security Council resolutions, and provide practical experience in modern warfare," the report said.

Violations of UN sanctions

The findings are based on data from MSMT participating states and draw on evidence from the Open Source Centre, a UK-based non-profit organization, and Conflict Armament Research, a UK-based research organization. Both countries violate the UN arms embargo and transfer arms and military equipment through actors and networks that circumvent sanctions. The sub-panel noted that the two countries will continue military cooperation “at least for the foreseeable future.”

Urgent appeal for diplomacy

In a joint statement, MSMT member states - including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States - called on North Korea to engage in "significant diplomacy."

Western governments are increasingly concerned about the long-term consequences of a deepening strategic partnership between the two nations. In recent months, the United States has warned that Russia may be close to sharing advanced space and satellite technology with North Korea in exchange for continued support in the war against Ukraine.

Admission of Putin's involvement

In April, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged for the first time that North Korean soldiers were involved in fighting to retake Russian territory after Ukraine invaded the Kursk region last year. North Korea also confirmed its troop presence there in April. Although North Korean troops had been deployed in Kursk since at least November, they withdrew from the front line in January after reports of heavy casualties emerged.

Both countries have denied that Pyongyang is supplying weapons to Moscow, despite overwhelming evidence. However, under a landmark defense pact reached last year, they have pledged to use all available means to provide immediate military support in the event of an attack on the other. Putin has warned that he would supply North Korea with weapons if the West continues to arm Ukraine.

In recent weeks, Ukraine's allies have lifted a ban on Kiev firing long-range missiles into Russia following days of massive Russian airstrikes on Ukraine's capital and other regions, while the U.S. has grown increasingly frustrated over the lack of a peace deal with Putin.