The United Kingdom has provided satellite photographs of North Korean cargo shipments to Russia to a United Nations panel of experts, seeking an official investigation into alleged arms deals that violate international sanctions. The images, taken between September and December, show three Russian ships—the Maia, Angara, and Maria—loading containers at North Korea's revived Najin port before transiting to Russian ports in the Far East.
The UK defence intelligence report, seen by the Guardian, follows accusations that North Korea has supplied ballistic missiles and hundreds of thousands of artillery shells to Russia for its war in Ukraine. The US announced last week that North Korean ballistic missiles had been used by Russia in Ukraine. A UN diplomat stated that Russia's use of North Korean weapons violates multiple UN Security Council resolutions and undermines efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation.
The ships in the report were sanctioned by the US in 2022 for their links to Oboronlogistika OOO, a Russian defence ministry shipping company involved in the illegal seizure of Crimea. Two of the vessels were also identified in a recent report by the Royal United Services Institute, which noted a growth in transshipments from North Korea to Russia. The deliveries have been cited as enabling military strikes against Ukraine that killed dozens and injured hundreds.
Prosecutors in Kharkiv told the Guardian that suspected fragments of North Korean-made Iskander missiles had been sent to Kyiv for analysis, noting subtle differences such as hand-drawn serial numbers. A statement by eight UN Security Council members, including the UK and US, condemned the attacks as being conducted in part with ballistic missiles procured from North Korea. The White House's senior director for arms control, Pranay Vaddi, described the military cooperation as unprecedented and warned it could alter the nature of the North Korean threat in the region.
