As Russians struggle to maintain a steady source of ammunition and artillery, they look to their Asian neighbor North Korea for arms.
A US intelligence official disclosed an ongoing deal for Russians to purchase rockets and artillery shells worth millions. The official added that they could even source most of their equipment from North Korea as Russia plans for a long war.
One of the reasons Russia has limited sourcing is because of the global sanctions placed on them since the war started. To date, Russia holds the most world sanctions in history, overlapping North Korea. Still, Russia is looking for new allies as it turns to Iran and North Korea when it comes to artillery shipments.
Russia’s purchase from North Korea also came after they received the initial shipments of Iranian-made drones, amounting to hundreds of new aerial war machines on Russia’s inventory. According to US officials speaking on the condition of anonymity, these new drones will be used so Russia can deploy air-to-surface attacks and disrupt Ukrainian electronics. The drones will also be used to identify and locate targets.