In a complex web of mutual support Russia sends oil supplies to Kim Jong-unʼs regime while getting military help for its Ukraine operations
NK ships have made forty-three secret stops at Russias far-east terminals since early spring (with tracking devices turned off): this adds up to about a million oil barrels. The oil-transfer scheme helps NK bypass its 500000-barrel yearly limit
While Kim Jong-un is providing Vladimir Putin with a lifeline to continue his war‚ Russia is quietly providing North Korea with a lifeline of its own
The military exchange goes both ways. Vladimir Putin gets weapons while NK receives air-defense systems; experts think this deal helps both countries get what they need most. The trade includes:
- Artillery shells
- Missiles
- Other war-related items
- Technical help for space projects
About twelve-thousand NK soldiers now help Russian forces in the Kursk area - one high-ranking NK general got hurt in a recent missile strike (when Ukrainians hit a command center with British-made weapons)
The scope of military support is big: NK has sent more than thirteen-thousand containers full of weapons since last summer. Even though NKs artillery isnt perfect quality its large numbers make it very useful for Putins armies on Ukrainian front-lines