14,000 troops, 100 ballistic missiles and millions of munitions: What North Korea has sent to Russia, report finds
North Korea has sent soldiers and millions of munitions, including missiles and rockets, to Russia over the past year, according to a new report by an international watchdog, which details the extent to which Pyongyang has helped Moscow 'terrorize' Ukraine's population over its three-year war.
The report was released Thursday by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), an initiative made up of 11 United Nations members, formed after Russia forced the disbandment of a previous UN panel that monitored the implementation of sanctions against North Korea.
While some of the team's findings have been well documented – such as North Korea sending troops to fight for Russia – the report lays out the stunning scope and scale of weaponry sent from Pyongyang since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
That includes as many as 9 million rounds of artillery and ammunition in 2024; more than 11,000 troops last year, and another 3,000 troops in the early months of this year; rocket launchers, vehicles, self-propelled guns and other types of heavy artillery; and at least 100 ballistic missiles 'which were subsequently launched into Ukraine to destroy civilian infrastructure and terrorize populated areas such as Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia,' the report found, citing participating states.
'These forms of unlawful cooperation between (North Korea) and Russia contributed to Moscow's ability to increase its missile attacks against Ukrainian cities including targeted strikes against critical civilian infrastructure,' the report said.
In return, Russia provided North Korea with various valuable pieces of weaponry and technology, including air defense equipment, anti-aircraft missiles, electronic warfare systems and refined oil, the report said.
A news broadcast in Seoul, South Korea, showing a Russian military facility reportedly used as a training ground for North Korean troops sent to assist in the war against Ukraine.
Kim Jae-Hwan/SOPA Images/SIPAPRE/AP
Moscow has also provided data feedback on Pyongyang's ballistic missiles, helping improve its missile guidance performance, it said.
These actions 'allow North Korea to fund its military programs and further develop its ballistic missiles programs, which are themselves prohibited under multiple (UN Security Council resolutions), and gain first-hand experience in modern warfare,' the report found.
It said its findings were based on MSMT participating states and cited supporting evidence from the Open Source Centre (OSC), a UK-based non-profit that uses publicly accessible information for research, and Conflict Armament Research (CAR), a UK-based research organization.
Both Russia and North Korea are violating the UN arms embargo and are transferring arms and military equipment through actors and networks that evade sanctions, the report alleged. The two countries will likely continue their military cooperation 'at least for the foreseeable future,' it added.
In a joint statement, the member nations behind the MSMT – Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States – urged North Korea to 'engage in meaningful diplomacy.'
Western governments have become increasingly concerned about the long-term implications of what appears to be a deepening strategic partnership between the two nations.
In recent months, the US has warned that Russia may be close to sharing advanced space and satellite technology with North Korea in exchange for continued support for the war in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged in April for the first time that North Korean soldiers took part in the fighting to recover Russian territory after Ukraine's incursion into the Kursk region last year. North Korea also confirmed its troop presence there for the first time in April.
Though North Korean troops had been deployed to Kursk since at least November, they withdrew from the front lines in January after reports of mass casualties, Ukrainian officials said.
Both countries have denied that Pyongyang is supplying arms to Moscow, despite overwhelming evidence. However, as part of a landmark defense pact struck last year, they have both pledged to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance in the event the other is attacked.
Putin has warned he would provide arms to Pyongyang if the West continues arming Ukraine.
In recent weeks, Ukraine's allies have lifted a ban on Kyiv firing long-range missiles into Russia, after days of Russia bombarding the Ukrainian capital and other regions with massive aerial attacks and as the US grows increasingly frustrated with Putin over the lack of a peace deal.
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Mid East Info
21 minutes ago
- Mid East Info
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Egypt Independent
3 hours ago
- Egypt Independent
A prominent venture capitalist's Islamophobic posts stir outrage among Middle Eastern and Muslim tech founders
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Shaun Maguire, a partner at venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, has drawn backlash for his social media posts about New York mayoral candidate Zohran 137 Ventures/Fo Maguire's comments 'struck a chord with a lot of people, just because of the fact that he wasn't at some no-name shop. It was Sequoia,' said Hosam Arab, co-founder and CEO of Gulf fintech company Tabby, who signed the letter about Maguire. Arab's company raised money from Sequoia Capital's India business before Sequoia split off that arm of its business in 2024. Maguire is not the only one in the VC space to hold those views, but 'he was probably the loudest, most vocal, most consistent,' added Arab. When asked for comment, Maguire directed CNN to a 30-minute follow-up video in which he said that Islamists only made up a small fraction of Muslims and that he was 'very, very sorry' to any Indians or Muslims who aren't Islamists. 'This tweet did not land the way I thought it would. What I was trying to do is associate Zohran with an ideology that I think he has that is beyond just socialism,' he said. Sequoia has not responded to CNN's requests for comment. Mamdani, who would be the city's first Muslim mayor if elected, did not respond to requests for comment. Muslim and Middle East founders respond Sequoia Capital is one of the most esteemed venture capital firms in Silicon Valley, managing around $56 billion in assets as of January. Founded in 1972, it has a remarkable track record of early investments in globally successful companies including Apple, Google, Nvidia and many, many more. Sequoia Capital offices in Menlo Park, California. It is one of the most esteemed venture capital firms in Silicon Valley, Bloomberg/Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images Although New York is far from Silicon Valley and even farther from the Middle East, startup founders in the Middle East have condemned Maguire's comments. 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Islamophobia in the tech world Some of those Muslim and Middle East signees are criticizing Maguire's comments, and pointing out patterns in other major players in the finance and tech world who they say are Islamophobic and dehumanizing Palestinians, as Israel's war in Gaza has inflamed rhetoric toward Muslims and Arabs. 'He's clearly targeting certain Muslim figures, spending 30 minutes attempting to explain what his definition of Islam is,' one letter signee said, referencing Maguire's follow-up video. 'Come on, that should not be the stance of the premiere venture capital firm of the world.' There are 'people out there that genuinely have hatred towards our people in our community… what they say should not be just simply accepted as a matter of fact and part of our political discourse,' Abed Ayoub, national executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, told CNN. 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Smoke billoweseast of Gaza City following Israeli strikes on July 13. Bashar Taleb/AFP/Getty Images The controversy comes in the shadow of Israel's war in Gaza, which people who signed the letter told CNN is the catalyst for a lot of Islamophobic rhetoric. Islamophobia has risen to 'alarming levels' across the world, including against Muslims, warned United Nations experts in March 2024. The Council on American-Islamic Relations said in its 2025 civil rights report that Islamophobia remains at record levels in the US. The group received 8,658 complaints in 2024 — the highest number ever recorded since its first civil rights report in 1996. The open letter to Sequoia also has signatures from non-Muslim Arabs and founders based in the United States. On July 9, Maguire posted to his 'enemies' that he is aware of their 'command structure' and that he is 'going to play nice for now, but am ready to embarrass any of you should you escalate.' 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Egypt Independent
3 hours ago
- Egypt Independent
Russia and Ukraine agree prisoner swap, but little other progress in Istanbul talks
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