Is Russia buying millions in artillery from North Korea?

PBS reports that the White House has accused North Korea of 'covertly' selling artillery shells to Russia. In this way, the Pyongyang government would be supporting Moscow's campaign in Ukraine.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stated that the US government believes that North Korea is “trying to make it appear as though they’re being sent to countries in the Middle East or North Africa.”

However, the White House did not specify any further details about the alleged deal between the two countries.

According to the BBC, the North Korean government denied back in September that it was supplying or planning to supply Moscow with artillery shells.

American intelligence had reported at the time that Russia was seeking to acquire millions in artillery shells and rockets from North Korea.

Al Jazeera, meanwhile, argued back then that the reports presented by US intelligence offered little information about the type of weapons acquired, the quantity, or when these shipments would occur.

“The information that we have is that Russia has specifically asked for ammunition,” stated Brigadier General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon Press Secretary, as reported by Associated Press.

“It does demonstrate and is indicative of the situation that Russia finds itself in, in terms of its logistics and sustaining capabilities as it relates to Ukraine,” added Ryder.

Associated Press reported that Russia’s United Nations Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia called the US intelligence finding “another fake thing that’s been circulated.”

US intelligence believes that Russia’s push for Iranian and North Korean military equipment is proof that the Western sanctions are hurting the Russian army.

“The Russian military continues to suffer from severe supply shortages in Ukraine, due in part to export controls and sanctions,” declared an anonymous US official to Associated Press.

The Ukrainian government had cut diplomatic ties with North Korea back in July, as the Asian country recognized the sovereignty of the two breakaway regions that became Russia’s 'causa belli' for military intervention.

The US government, The New York Times reports, began declassifying certain US intelligence reports about Russia in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.

Among other things, these documents revealed the Kremlin’s difficulty to recruit new Russian troops.

“It’s an indication of how much his defense industrial establishment is suffering as a result of this war and the degree of desperation that he’s reaching out to countries like Iran and North Korea for assistance,” Kirby told the press.

North Korea has been seeking to tighten its relationship with Russia, while The Kremlin faces growing isolation from Western countries.