From Moscow's allies North Korea is the "biggest problem" for Kiev due to the massive supply of artillery shells to Russia, which uses them on the front in Ukraine, the head of Ukrainian intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, said today, AFP reported, quoted by BTA.
„Of all Russia's allies, our biggest problem is North Korea, because with the volume of military products it supplies, it really affects the intensity of the fighting,” Budanov said at a conference at the Yalta European Strategy forum. ; (Yalta European Strategy - YES) in Kyiv.
The North Korean authorities are “providing huge quantities of artillery ammunition (...) this is critical for us”, said the influential General Budanov. “Unfortunately, (...) we cannot do anything about it at the moment”, he admitted.
„The fact that they also supply ballistic missiles is unpleasant, but” not so seriously, since they are in a smaller amount, General Budanov said.
The US and South Korea have accused Pyongyang of providing ammunition and missiles to Russia to support its invasion of Ukraine, which has been ongoing since February 2022, AFP notes.
Pyongyang rejects these accusations, but the investigative organization “Conflict Armament Research“ (Conflict Armament Research) confirmed this week that analyzes of debris show that “missiles produced this year in North Korea are being used in Ukraine”.
Budanov also confirmed that Russia has “made significant progress” in the production of ballistic missiles “Iskander“ and has increased “several times” the number of aviation planning bombs – weapons used by the Russian army to strike civilian and military targets in Ukraine.
„Now we clearly see the mass use of missiles „Iskander-M“ in Ukraine, while “guided bombs are a huge problem on the front lines,” where they are launched against Ukrainian troops, he said.
However, the general is of the opinion that Russia, currently on the offensive in Ukraine, will try to end the war “before 2026” to avoid weakening its position due to the build-up of economic problems caused mostly by Western sanctions and those of mobilization against the background of significant losses at the front.
Budanov, whose service is known for daring operations deep inside Russia, dismissed Western fears of an escalation in Europe's worst armed conflict since World War II.
"All these dilemmas: will there be an escalation or not? What escalation? (...) There won't be one," he said, urging the West "not to be afraid." to arm Ukraine better.
Exhausted by two and a half years of war, the Ukrainians will continue to fight, Budanov assured. “We are fighting for our land and we have no other choice. We cannot say: “I am tired, that is all, I am leaving (...). This is our strong point“, said the Ukrainian general.
British Labor Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been urged by former defense ministers and a former prime minister to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles on Russian territory even without US support, reports the “Sunday Times” , reported Reuters, quoted by BTA..
According to “Sunday Times” the call is from five former Conservative defense ministers – Grant Shapps, Ben Wallace, Gavin Williamson, Penny Mordont and Liam Fox, as well as former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The six warned Starmer that “any further delay would embolden President Putin,”, writes the “Sunday Times”.
For months, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been pushing allies to allow Ukraine to launch Western missiles, including long-range US ATACMS and British “Storm Shadow” deep into Russian territory to limit Moscow's ability to carry out attacks in Ukraine.
On Friday, Starmer and US President Joe Biden held talks in Washington on whether to allow Kiev to use long-range missiles against targets in Russia. No decision was announced.
Senior US officials are deeply skeptical that authorization to use such missiles would make a significant difference in Kiev's fight against Russian invaders, Reuters notes
President Vladimir Putin said the West would go directly to war with Russia if it allowed Ukraine to strike with Western-made long-range missiles.