Russian President Wladimir Putin prepares to buy millions of rockets and artillery shells from North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Unaccording to a report by the New York Times.
What happened: That Russian Defense Ministry is in the process of buying artillery ammunition from North Korea for the Ukraine war amid Western sanctions, the New York Times reports reportedciting new intelligence from US intelligence.
US government officials told the publication that Kim’s isolated nation’s purchases showed sanctions had begun to bite Putin and reduced his military’s ability to maintain its so-called “military special operation” in Ukraine.
According to the report, the recently declassified intelligence agency did not share details about what was purchased, except that the items included artillery shells and rockets. However, it noted that Russia was expected to purchase more such equipment.
Meanwhile, a US official also said Associated Presson condition of anonymity that the fact that Putin is turning to Kim’s hermit empire shows that “the Russian military continues to suffer from severe supply shortages in Ukraine, in part due to export controls and sanctions.”
That came after The White House said last week the Russian military is experiencing technical problems with Iranian-made drones it acquired from Tehran in August.
See also: 7 powerful Russian business tycoons who have mysteriously died since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine
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