US officials claim on Thursday that private Russian military company Wagner has received an arms supply from sanction-hit North Korea to support its forces against Ukraine, according to a report by AP.
According to John Kirby, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, US intelligence experts found that North Korea finished a first arms shipment last month that contained rockets and missiles.
On Friday, Dec. 23, North Korea once more categorically denied that it had sent weapons to Russia, dismissing the US's accusations.
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 28: John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, speaks during a press briefing at the White House on November 28, 2022 in Washington, DC. The briefing was held to preview French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit later this week.
Arms Shipment Allegations
According to Biden administration officials, North Korea would be breaking UN sanctions that forbid Pyongyang from importing or exporting weapons if the allegations were proven to be true.
The US representative to the UN, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, branded it "despicable" that Russia, a permanent veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council is waging an aggressive war against Ukraine with weaponry obtained from North Korea and Iran.
However, an unnamed representative at the North Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement with state media that the country did not conduct an arms transaction with Russia.
The US's claim that North Korea delivered an arms shipment to the Wagner Group on Thursday was not mentioned by the spokesperson. Instead, he accused America of committing criminal offenses by arming Ukraine in such a way as to cause carnage and damage.
According to Kirby, the US now estimates that Wagner has 50,000 soldiers fighting in Ukraine, 10,000 of them are contractors, and the remaining 40,000 are inmates that the organization has recruited from jails.
He adds that Yevgeny Prigozhin, a supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin and owner of the company Wagner, is investing around $100 million per month in the conflict.
Sanctions on Wagner
US sanctions on Wagner date back to 2017. In an effort to further limit the company's access to technology and other materials, the Commerce Department unveiled additional export restrictions on Wednesday.
According to intelligence reports provided to the White House, Russia has few choices to restock weapons as it struggles to maintain a consistent supply in its conflict in Ukraine following global condemnation.
The country is also constrained by sanctions that restrict access to vital components for weapon manufacturing.
Moscow has resorted to Iran's supply of drones to support its forces against Ukraine. US officials have voiced concerns that Russia may continue having access to cutting-edge weapons from the middle eastern country.
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