A recent international monitoring report has exposed the illicit dealings between Russia and North Korea, sparking international concern.
According to CNN’s report today on May 30th, the report was released by the “Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team” (MSMT) consisting of 11 countries on the 29th. They took over monitoring tasks after the United Nations sanctions monitoring team was disbanded by Russia.
The report highlighted that in just 2024, North Korea provided approximately 9 million rounds of ammunition to Russia, sent 11,000 soldiers last year, and increased the deployment by another 3,000 this year. The assistance also included rocket launchers, heavy weapons, and at least 100 ballistic missiles. These missiles have been used to attack civilian facilities in Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, and other areas of Ukraine.
What does North Korea gain from this? The report stated that in exchange, Russia provides North Korea with air defense systems, electronic warfare equipment, missile test data, and refined petroleum. North Korea uses this to accumulate modern warfare experience and advance its banned ballistic missile program sanctioned by the United Nations.
Even more sensational is Russian President Putin’s admission in April this year that North Korean troops participated in the counterattack in Kurilsk. Ukrainian officials stated that as early as November last year, North Korean troops were deployed to the region, but after significant casualties, they withdrew from the front lines in January this year.
The 11 MSMT member countries also issued a joint statement urging North Korea to resume diplomatic talks. The United States warned that Russia may also “package” space and satellite technology as gifts to North Korea in return. The report pointed out that most of the cooperation between North Korea and Russia circumvents sanctions and is conducted in secret, signaling the likelihood of continued collaboration in the future.
At the same time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated on Wednesday, May 28th, that Moscow has drafted a “memorandum for peace” for the Ukrainian war and proposed a new round of negotiations in Turkey next week.
However, Ukrainian President Zelensky rebutted yesterday on May 29th, stating that the Russian side had not submitted any relevant documents and was merely “buying time,” calling it “another deception.” He also criticized China for continuously providing DJI drones to Russia while blocking the supply to Ukraine.
We will continue to monitor the developments related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.