North Korea’s unfamiliar service has criticized as “silly” a US report that the Russian-hired fighter force, Wagner Gathering, had gotten a shipment of North Korean rockets and rockets to help Moscow’s conflict in Ukraine.
John Kirby, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, stated on Thursday that Pyongyang had provided the Wagner Group, which is looking for arms manufacturers worldwide to supply its military operations in Ukraine, with a preliminary supply of weapons.
“We are able to confirm that North Korea has successfully completed a preliminary arms delivery to Wagner, the company that paid for that equipment. Kirby told reporters that Wagner received infantry rockets and missiles from North Korea last month.
Because of North Korea’s efforts to develop nuclear weapons, United Nations Security Council resolutions prohibit the export of weapons.
The UK agrees with the US assessment.
— Ambassador Barbara Woodward (@BWoodward_UN) December 22, 2022
Russia has received weapons from North Korea, in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions.
Russian mercenary group Wagner, known for its use of torture and systematic human rights abuses, is in Ukraine and paid for the weapons. https://t.co/Wg9Kw0ODdx
According to Kirby, the United States believes that Wagner has 50,000 personnel deployed in Ukraine, which includes 10,000 contractors and 40,000 inmates recruited from Russian prisons.
He stated that Wagner has increasingly turned to Russian President Vladimir Putin for assistance in Ukraine, where Russian forces have stumbled.
Kirby added that Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner’s owner, is estimated to be spending more than $100 million per month to fund his mercenaries’ operations in Ukraine. On Thursday, Prigozhin called the US claim “rumors and speculation.”
The Wagner Group has been accused of committing atrocities and violations of human rights in Libya, Syria, the Central African Republic, and Mali, among other places. It is staffed by veterans of the Russian armed forces and prisoners who will be released if they agree to fight in Ukraine.
Responding to a media report on the supposed shipment of weapons to Wagner, a North Korean unfamiliar service representative said the news was “misleading” and the “most ridiculous distraction, which does not merit any remark or understanding”.
According to a statement published by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the spokesperson stated, “The DPRK remains unchanged in its principled stand on the issue of ‘arms transaction’ between the DPRK and Russia, which has never happened.”
“Bringing bloodshed and destruction to Ukraine by providing it with various kinds of lethal weapons,” the North Korean official added.
The acronym DPRK stands for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s official name.
In a tweet on Friday, British ambassador to the United Nations Barbara Woodward stated that London concurred with Washington’s assessment that “Russia has received weapons from North Korea, in violation of multiple UN Security Council Resolutions.”
James Cleverly, the UK’s foreign minister, stated in a statement, “The fact that President Putin is turning to North Korea for help is a sign of Russia’s desperation and isolation.”
“We will collaborate with our partners to make certain that North Korea bears a heavy cost for supporting Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.”
After the White House said in November that Pyongyang had secretly given Russia “significant” numbers of artillery shells, North Korea said it had never dealt with Russia for arms and had no plans to.
The United States has expressed concern that Moscow may seek to acquire additional advanced conventional weapons from Iran, and Washington has stated that Russia has also turned to Iran for drones to use against Ukraine.
‘Gossip and Speculation’
In a statement, Wagner chief Prigozhin, a close ally of Putin, said: Everyone is aware that Russia has not received any weapons from North Korea in a very long time. Additionally, no such efforts have been made.
“Consequently, the supply of weapons from North Korea is nothing more than rumors and speculation.”
According to Kirby, Prigozhin frequently made assertions based on speculation.
The United States believes that although Pyongyang is expected to deliver additional military equipment, the quantity of materials delivered by North Korea will not alter the dynamics of the battlefield.
According to Kirby, US intelligence indicates that Wagner mercenaries played a leading role in the battle for the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut and sustained significant casualties, including the deaths of approximately 1,000 Wagner employees in recent weeks.
He stated, “It appears that Mr. Prigozhin is willing to simply throw Russian bodies into the meat grinder in Bakhmut.”
Kirby additionally said Prigozhin’s impact is extending inside Russia and that his gathering’s autonomy from Moscow’s safeguard service has expanded since the attack of Ukraine in February. He stated that Wagner forces were sometimes subordinate to Russian military officials in Ukraine.
According to Kirby, Prigozhin seemed more concerned with “influence peddling at the Kremlin” than with safeguarding his troops.
He stated, “For him, it’s all about how good he looks to Mr. Putin and how well he is regarded at the Kremlin.”
US President Joe Biden’s organization on Wednesday disclosed new checks on innovation products to the Wagner Gathering. According to Kirby, the company and its support group will face additional sanctions in the coming weeks from countries all over the world.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES
