The head of the Center for the Study of Far Eastern Countries in St. Petersburg, Kirill Kotkov, has commented on the accusations made by Western countries against Russia regarding its alleged arms procurement from North Korea in an interview with “Ridus”. He suggested that the accusers take a look at the map and see that logistics between Russia and North Korea are extremely challenging.
According to Kotkov, the capacity of the railway connecting North Korea with Vladivostok is very low. There is only one route for transportation in both directions.
“Secondly, there is a problem with the transportation of ammunition by sea. In the Russian Far East, apart from remote ports such as Magadan or ports in Sakhalin, we only have four ports: Vladivostok, Nakhodka, Vanino, and Sovetskaya Gavan. This is not enough to deliver large quantities of weapons from North Korea to Russia,” Kotkov noted.
He added that it would also not be possible to transport a large volume of ammunition via the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Baikal-Amur Mainline, as they are heavily loaded.
In early January, John Kirby, the coordinator of strategic communications for the White House National Security Council, stated that the United States believes Russia is using missiles obtained from North Korea to strike Ukraine.
He also emphasized that the United States will raise the issue of an alleged “arms deal” between Moscow and Pyongyang at the UN Security Council and impose sanctions on those who assist in facilitating transfers between Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
Earlier, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un referred to Russia as the most hostile state.
