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The comments were made by the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence service GUR.
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“They deliver huge amounts of artillery ammunition, which is vital for Russia,” said Kyrylo Budanov.
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Russia and North Korea have signed a new security pact.
After the war in Ukraine, Russia formed a close alliance with China, the world’s second-largest economy, and strengthened trade ties with other major economies, such as India.
But according to the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence service GUR, Kyrylo Budanov, the Kremlin’s main ally during the war is not economically and militarily powerful China, but North Korea, an isolated pariah state whose economy has been damaged by sanctions for decades.
At a meeting in Kiev on Saturday, Budanov said North Korea’s military aid to Russia is more important for Ukraine than the support provided by Russia’s other allies. Reuters reported.
“They deliver huge quantities of artillery ammunition, which is of vital importance to Russia,” he said, noting the increase in hostilities on the battlefield after such deliveries.
North Korea has been among the poorest and most isolated countries in Asia for decades, and the UN has imposed harsh sanctions to curb the country’s nuclear weapons program.
However, the war in Ukraine has allowed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to improve his situation, forming a valuable security pact with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Russia in June.
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine has turned into a grueling war of attrition, both sides are firing massive amounts of shells daily and replenishing supplies has become a major challenge.
Russia has found a new supply line in North Korea, which has shipped millions of grenades from outdated stocks and increased domestic production to supply the Kremlin troops.
In return, Kim has received new security promises from Putin, as well as access to valuable Russian military technology.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Western allies are struggling to meet the demand for grenades, giving Russia a significant advantage.
North Korea has also supplied Russia with ballistic missiles, which US Defense Intelligence Agency in May allegedly used by Russia in attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Reports say North Korean grenades and other equipment have been found often of dubious quality, but they remain an important resource for the Russian military, analysts told Business Insider in August.
Russia has also secured deliveries of ballistic missiles from Iran in recent weeks, and Budanov is reported to have said it was also improving its ability to the “glide bomb” rockets produce who destroyed the Ukrainian positions.
Ukraine is currently battling increasing Russian attacks in Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine, but has taken control of part of the region. strip of Russian territory in Kursk.
Read the original article at Company Insider
