Abstract
In Ukraine’s fight between Russia and the West, both Russian forces and rebels in Ukraine say they have received weapons from North Korea to support their side.
An introduction to Ukraine’s fight with North Korea
The Ukraine government has accused North Korea of sending 1,000 tons of weapons via air drops to pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine in a bid to support the rise of a pro-Moscow rebel regime. Last month, a think tank called the International Institute for Strategic Studies said it had “seen evidence” that Pyongyang was getting ready to send a lot of weapons through two routes into rebel-held territory.
New updates on Ukraine’s initial fight with North Korea
On Monday, Ukrainian security agencies said in a statement that they were working with people from other countries who had filmed proof that North Korea gave arms to the rebels. A video is shown of a stash of weapons that the Ukrainian army has found. According to a translation, the weapons include “rocket-propelled grenades (RPG) made in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea).”
A spokesperson for the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation was quick to deny all charges, saying: “We’re not supplying anyone anywhere with anything.” Last month, Interfax reported that Russian military helicopters were seen on the border with Ukraine.
The US accused Russia of providing help.
The United States has accused Russia of providing military hardware and training to rebels in east Ukraine but said it had no direct proof that Moscow sent troops or weapons across its border with Ukraine.
The rebellion in eastern Ukraine began in April with protests over a Russian takeover of the region’s government. It quickly escalated into open warfare and spilled over into the rest of Ukraine, leading to the deaths of more than 3,000 people and displacing at least a million.
The Daily Telegraph, a newspaper in the UK, said on Monday that London had downplayed news about North Korea sending weapons because they were afraid it would make things worse around the world. The information was reportedly provided by an unidentified Western official.
“We can only assume there is some sort of cover-up going on,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the issue.
A top U.S. military official told the Telegraph that Washington had always been concerned about reports of weapons being smuggled into Ukraine from Russia and North Korea.
“We have seen evidence of the transfer of some small arms and equipment from Russia into Ukraine,” deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia affairs, Philip S. Breedlove, said. “But we have not seen a broad-based transfer of heavy weapons, tanks, artillery, and multiple-launch rocket systems as yet.”
Russian claims in their conflict with
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the claims were “baseless” and said that Petro Poroshenko, the president of Ukraine, was just saying what he wanted to hear to defend his “aggressive policy.”
