THE NEW YORK TIMES A Russia buys millions of artillery shells and rockets North KoreaThis is a sign, according to secret US intelligence agencies, that global sanctions have seriously restricted and coerced their supply chains Moscow turning to rogue states for military supplies.
The disclosure comes days after Russia received initial shipments of USmade drones. Will, which some US officials said had mechanical problems. U.S. government officials said Russia’s decision to approach Iran and North Korea was a sign that sanctions and export controls imposed by the United States and the U.S Europe hamper Moscow’s ability to resupply its army.
You United States provided few intelligence details, newly released classified information about the exact weapons, timing or size of the shipment, and there’s still no way to independently verify the sale. A US official said Russia intends to buy more North Korean equipment in the future, in addition to shortrange missiles and artillery shells.
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Russian missiles fire across the Kharkiv sky; Moscow has been looking for alternative markets to meet its war equipment needs.
“The Kremlin should be concerned that they have to buy anything from North Korea,” said Mason Clark, who heads the Russian studies team at the Institute for the Study of War.
before invasion of Ukraine of Russia, the White House began releasing intelligence reports on Moscow’s military plans to the public first leaking this material to allies and then to the general public. After a lull in disclosures, the US government has again begun releasing information to highlight difficulties facing the Russian military, including recent findings about Iran’s drone purchases and the Russian army’s problems recruiting soldiers.
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Extensive economic sanctions have not harmed Russia, at least so far. Soaring energy prices because of the invasion fed its coffers and allowed Moscow to mitigate the effects of its banks’ isolation from the international financial system and restrictions on exports and imports. Even sanctions against Russian oligarchs could not undermine the president’s power. Wladimir Putin.
But US officials said when it comes to Russia’s ability to rebuild its military, economic action by Europe and the United States has been effective. US and European sanctions have prevented Russia from buying weapons or electronics to make those weapons.
Moscow expects the China willing to circumvent these export controls and continue to supply the Russian military. But in recent days, US officials have said that while China is willing to buy Russian oil at a discount, Beijing, at least so far, has respected export controls aimed at Moscow’s military and has not attempted to sell military equipment or components.
Gina Raimondo, the Commerce Secretary, has repeatedly warned China that the United States could make these deals if Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, China’s largest computer chip maker, or other companies violate sanctions against Russia and deny them access to American technology, leading to what the Chinese do need to manufacture semiconductors.
Both Iran and North Korea are largely isolated from international trade thanks to US and international sanctions, meaning neither country has much to lose from deals with Russia. Any agreement to buy arms from North Korea would violate UN resolutions United Nations with the aim of curbing the proliferation of weapons in Pyongyang.
However, it is unclear how much the North Korean purchase has to do with export controls. There’s nothing hightech about a 152millimeter artillery rocket or a Katyushastyle rocket that North Korea makes, said Frederick W. Kagan, a military expert at the American Enterprise Institute.
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A US official said the new deal with North Korea shows desperation in Moscow. And Kagan said the turn to North Korea was a sign that Russia appeared unable to produce the most basic materials needed for warfare.
“The only reason the Kremlin should buy artillery shells or missiles from North Korea or any other manufacturer is because Putin was unwilling or unable to mobilize the Russian economy for war, even at the most basic level.” said Kagan.
Limiting Russia’s military supply chain is a key part of the US strategy to weaken Moscow, aimed at hampering both its war effort in Ukraine and its future ability to threaten its neighbors.
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Photo of Vladimir Putin and Kim Jongun in 2019; According to US intelligence, Moscow’s latest arms shipment arrived from Pyongyang. Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP 04/25/2019
For months, both Russian operations in Ukraine and US government revelations have made it clear that Moscow has serious problems with its hightech weapons. Precisionguided weapons such as cruise missiles have experienced high failure rates. In the early stages of the war, half or more of these weapons failed to fire or hit their targets.
Russian supplies of these precision weapons were also running out, forcing the generals to rely less on missiles and instead base their strategy on a brutal artillery strike that devastated cities in eastern Ukraine.
The revelation that Russia is striving for more artillery ammunition is a sign that Moscow’s supply problems run deeper than just highend components for highend tanks or precision missiles. As Russia seeks more artillery shells from North Korea, it faces or could soon face shortages, and its industrial base is struggling to meet the military demands of the war.
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“This is likely an indication of a massive failure of the Russian militaryindustrial complex that is likely to have deep roots and very serious implications for the Russian armed forces,” Kagan said.
In recent weeks, Ukraine has intensified its attacks on Russian ammunition depots. Ukrainian forces used the American High Mobility Rocket Artillery System (HIMARS) and US intelligence reports to attack behind the front lines and destroy ammunition dumps.
While the impact of this offensive on overall ammunition stockpiles is unclear, Russia was forced to retreat and relocate its ammunition stores, reducing the effectiveness of its artillery forces.
There was also evidence of the inefficiency of some Russian artillery shells, which would have been phased out due to storage problems or poor maintenance of their stockpiles of ammunition. In order to more effectively wound enemy troops, artillery shells exploded in midair just before hitting the ground. But the crater pattern created by the Russian artillery forces over the summer showed many of their shells exploding into the ground, reducing damage to Ukrainian trenches.
While the condition of North Korea’s artillery shells is unclear, the country has ample supplies of ammunition.