Increase in rail traffic between North Korea and Russia, a sign of a “likely” arms transfer
The Beyond Parallel cell dedicated to the Korean peninsula, founded by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) – a Washington think tank – points out in its study published on Friday that rail traffic between North Korea and Russia has increased sharply .
Using high-resolution satellite images, 70 freight wagons were identified at the Tumangang border station. A figure described as “unprecedented” even compared to pre-Covid traffic. According to the same source, only twenty wagons have been seen in this yard in the last five years.
This renewed activity “likely indicates that North Korea is supplying arms and ammunition to Russia,” concluded CSIS, which, however, was unable to identify the contents of the tarpaulin-covered wagons.
This sharp increase in cross-border rail traffic follows a summit between Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia last month. On Thursday, a U.S. official quoted by CBS News on condition of anonymity said North Korea had begun transferring weapons to Russia.
The North Korean leader’s recent trip to Russia and his meeting with Mr. Putin have revived fears in the West that isolated and nuclear-armed Pyongyang could supply Moscow with weapons for its war in Ukraine. While Russia reiterated at this meeting that no arms agreement had been concluded, the Kremlin chief nevertheless mentioned “prospects” for military cooperation.
Russia needs North Korean ammunition to continue its war in Ukraine, while North Korea is suspected of wanting to acquire technology for its nuclear and missile programs and modernize its Soviet-era military equipment.
Both countries are under international sanctions: Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine and Pyongyang for its nuclear and ballistics programs. For its part, the White House said that any export of North Korean weapons to Russia would “directly violate numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions, including resolutions that Russia itself voted to adopt.”