News Feed

Budanov: North Korea currently Russia's largest arms supplier

2 min read
Budanov: North Korea currently Russia's largest arms supplier
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin (R) and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (L) shaking hands during their meeting at the Vostochny Cosmodrome on Sept. 13, 2023. (Vladimir Smirnov/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

North Korea is currently Russia's largest arms supplier, Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) chief Kyrylo Budanov told the Financial Times in an interview published on Jan. 21.

North Korea has transferred "a significant amount" of artillery ammunition to Russia, according to Budanov.

"This allowed Russia to breathe a little,” Budanov said. “Without (North Korea's) help, the situation would have been catastrophic.”

Russia has been struggling to keep up with the production of its weapons and munitions at a rate that matches their usage on the front. As a result, they have been compelled to seek military assistance from countries such as North Korea.

"This has always been considered beneath them, it’s an indignity," Budanov said.

Moscow and Pyongyang have significantly increased their military ties since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

A spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence previously said on Jan. 15. that North Korea has supplied Russia with around one million rounds of ammunition, mainly 122 mm and 152 mm artillery shells.

As reported both by Kyiv and Washington, Russia also used North Korean ballistic missiles against Ukraine for the first time in strikes against Kharkiv on Jan. 2.

North Korea's state news agency, KCNA, also reported on Jan. 21 that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is planning to visit North Korea in the near future.

Ukraine war latest: Government allocates record $466 million to military fortifications
Key developments on Jan. 19: * Government allocates record $466 million to fortifications * Russian official: Debris from drone strike causes fire at oil depot in Bryansk Oblast * Russian media: Russia developing cheaper version of Shahed drone * Politico: Democrats mull ‘protecting’ Republican…
Article image
Avatar
The Kyiv Independent news desk

We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.

Read more
News Feed

The Vatican confirmed that Pope Leo received Metropolitan Anthony, the senior Russian Orthodox Church cleric who chairs its department of external church relations, along with five other high-profile clerics, during a morning audience on July 26.

 (Updated:  )

Explosions rocked Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts as Russia launched waves of missiles, drones, and guided aerial bombs overnight on July 26. Kharkiv's Kyviskyi district has been hit twice by ballistic missiles.

Show More