Ukraine used North Korean-made missiles in its latest attack on Russian positions, according to reports. The development comes amid heightened speculations that Russia is trying to add Pyongyang-made weaponry to its arsenal.
Offensive Campaigns
According to the Financial Times, the Ukrainian forces fired missiles, which were built decades ago in North Korea, against Russian positions near the city of Bakhmut. Ukraine has been unleashing offensive campaigns against the Russian forces in several parts of the territories it had lost to Moscow in the initial months of the war.
The Ukrainian troops said the missiles had been seized from a ship at an unspecified time. The Ukrainian military officials also claimed the North Korean munitions often misfired or failed to explode, the FT added.
Russian Attacks
Meanwhile, Russia said it intercepted two missiles near the southern port of Taganrog and the Azov district in the Rostov region.
Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu visited North Korea last week and met Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang to strengthen ties between the traditional allies. The western media reported that the high-profile visit was part of Moscow's attempts to beef up its supplies of missiles and munitions.
Shoigu in Pyongyang
The North Korean dictator gave a personal tour for the Russian defense chief, showing him his Pyongyang's weaponry including nuclear-capable ballistic missiles to its newest drones. North Korean media published pictures of Shoigu and Kim walking past advanced weapons made in the reclusive country.
During the military parade held in Pyongyang in honor of the Russian defense minister, two models of North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missiles -- Hwasong-18 missiles and Hwasong-17 -- were displayed.
"I very much doubt he's there on holiday ... We see Russia desperately seeking support, weapons, wherever it can find them, to continue its aggression against Ukraine ... We see it with North Korea, we see it with Iran, which has supplied Russia with many drones, which it is using to destroy civilian infrastructure and kill civilians in Ukraine", US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said, according to Euro News.
