The "Financial Times" reported today, Saturday, that Ukrainian soldiers were seen using North Korean missiles, which they claimed were acquired from a "friendly" country after being seized from a ship and then handed over to Ukraine. The newspaper stated that the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense indicated that the weapons had been captured from the Russians. The report noted that Ukrainian forces showcased the North Korean weapons near the devastated eastern city of Bakhmut, which has been the site of prolonged fierce fighting.
The United States accuses North Korea of supplying weapons to Russia, claiming that shipments are made by sea, although it has not provided evidence of this, and North Korean weapons have not been widely observed on the battlefields in Ukraine. Both North Korea and Russia deny any arms deals. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made a rare visit to Pyongyang on Thursday to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, marking the first visit by a senior Russian defense official since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. During the visit, Shoigu was photographed watching banned North Korean ballistic missiles alongside leader Kim Jong Un during a military parade in Pyongyang, indicating a deepening of relations between the two countries, both of which have disputes with the United States.
