According to the US, sanctions have made it difficult for Moscow to supply Moscow’s military, forcing Moscow to purchase military gear from North Korea.
A US official, Pyongyang is selling millions of rockets and artillery shells to Moscow for use in Ukraine.
They further claimed that as the battle continued on, Russia might be compelled to purchase more North Korean weapons.
They noted that purchasing from North Korea is a symptom of “serious supply problems.”
The New York Times broke the news of the intelligence first. In a humorous response to the research, the Ukrainian defense ministry tweeted that it demonstrated how “Soviet weapons” had “exhausted their potential.”
The ministry said while Ukraine was switching to Nato standards, Russia was heading in the direction of North Korean standards – be it in the field of “weapons, politics or standard of living”.
The regime of Kim Jong-un has blamed the conflict on the United States, accusing the West of pursuing a “hegemonic policy” that justifies Russia’s use of force.
North Korea acknowledged the independence of Russia’s two proxy statelets in eastern Ukraine, the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, last month, and vowed to deepen its “comradely friendship” with Moscow.
According to Pyongyang state media, Russia’s Vladimir Putin stated that the two countries “comprehensive and constructive bilateral relations” would be expanded.
The Finnish think tank Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, broad economic sanctions have had little impact on Russia’s income from energy exports.
Also read: Japan announces $30 billion in aid for African development
Russia is estimated to have earned €158 billion (£136 billion) from rising fossil fuel prices during the six-month invasion, with EU imports accounting for more than half of that.
However, the US believes that export controls and sanctions are affecting Russia’s military.
Last week, Biden administration officials told US media that the first shipments of Iranian-made drones had also arrived in Russia.
Russian operators are believed to have traveled to Iran to receive training on the Mohajer-6 and Shahed series weapons, according to US intelligence officers.
They recently informed reporters that many of the drones had been plagued by mechanical and technical issues since their delivery.
Iran has officially denied delivering weapons to either side of the conflict, but in July, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Tehran was planning to supply Moscow with hundreds of drones, some of which would be capable of combat, for its war in Ukraine.
In a daily update on Tuesday, UK defense officials stated that Russia was struggling to maintain its supply of battlefield drones in the face of significant “combat losses.”
In other developments in Ukraine on Tuesday:
- New Russian missile strikes have been reported across the country, including the burning of a fuel depot in the Kryvyi Rih area of central Ukraine. A photo posted by the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region showed thick black smoke billowing from the depot. It was attacked with two missiles on Monday evening, according to Valentyn Reznichenko, who added that there was no immediate word on casualties.
- A woman’s body was discovered in the north-eastern city of Kharkiv after a strike destroyed the upper part of a block of flats, local authorities said.
- Russian-backed separatists controlling Donetsk said Ukrainian government forces shelled parts of the eastern city on Tuesday, injuring one civilian.
Follow Clicks ‘n Likes On Facebook for more updates
