SEOUL, South Korea (Dispatches) -- Recent satellite photos show a sharp increase in rail traffic along the North Korea-Russia border, indicating the North is supplying munitions to Russia, according to a U.S. think tank.
Speculation about a possible North Korean plan to refill Russia’s munition stores drained in its protracted war with Ukraine flared last month, when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traveled to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin and visit key military sites. Foreign officials suspect Kim is seeking sophisticated Russian weapons technologies in return for the munitions to boost his nuclear program.
“Given that Kim and Putin discussed some military exchanges and cooperation at their recent summit, the dramatic increase in rail traffic likely indicates North Korea’s supply of arms and munitions to Russia,” Beyond Parallel, a website run by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said in a report.
“However, the extensive use of tarps to cover the shipping crates/containers and equipment makes it impossible to conclusively identify what is seen at the Tumangang Rail Facility” on the border, it said.
The report said satellite images as of Oct. 5 captured “a dramatic and unprecedented level of freight railcar traffic” at the Tumangang Rail Facility. It said images show approximately 73 railcars while a review of previous satellite images over the past five years shows about 20 railcars at this facility at most.
U.S. and South Korean officials have warned that North Korea and Russia would face consequences if they went ahead with the reported weapons transfer deal in violation with UN Security Council resolutions that ban all weapons trade involving North Korea.
Denmark said Monday it is working to “expand and deepen” a coalition of countries committed to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
The Netherlands and Denmark have led a push to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s and to later deliver fighter jets to Ukraine to help counter Russia’s air superiority.
Norway at the end of August also committed to delivering F-16s to Ukraine, while 11 other nations, including the United States, have said they would help train Ukrainian pilots to fly the jets.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told the NATO parliamentary assembly’s annual session in Copenhagen that NATO and the EU must better coordinate their procurement of weapons and ammunition within the union and the military alliance.
Western taxpayers are starting to ask questions about how their money is being spent in helping Ukraine’s armed forces, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.