According to a recent intelligence report published by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), Russia may have delivered new Pantsir air defense systems to the Armed Forces of North Korea, in what appears to be a gesture of retribution by Moscow in light of Pyongyang’s involvement in the war in Ukraine. This is no minor issue, considering that we are not only facing an arms transfer, but also a move clearly contrary to the sanctions imposed by the United Nations against the North Korean regime.
Specifically, the report in question, published by the MSMT—an organization formed precisely after Russia (a member of the Security Council) pushed last year to dismantle the UN team responsible for monitoring compliance with the sanctions imposed on North Korea—states that since late 2024, Moscow may have transferred at least one of its Pantsir systems along with electronic warfare devices. According to Western analysts, the weapons are intended to be deployed near Pyongyang’s strategic missile facilities, representing a significant leap in capabilities compared to North Korea’s older air defense systems, which mainly consist of S-75 and S-125M systems with more than 50 years in service.
It is worth recalling that previous reports and images indicated that North Korea already had Pantsir-ME systems or similar ones configured for shipboard use, as seen aboard the new missile destroyer Choe Hyon. In that sense, it is speculated that the arrival of a new system could allow North Korea to advance in modernizing its existing platforms, in addition to reinforcing its ground-based air defense capabilities.
Nevertheless, this recent equipment transfer would not be the first nor the only one Russia has carried out with North Korea as the recipient in order to reward its participation in the war against Ukraine, something that, according to South Korean reports, has been occurring since 2023. Broadly speaking, Seoul estimates that Pyongyang has sent around 20,000 containers of military aid to Moscow, including an estimated 9 million artillery shells, more than 100 ballistic missiles, and 200 pieces of heavy artillery, with over 11,000 soldiers deployed on the front alongside their Russian counterparts.
On the other side of the partnership, various Western reports have also revealed evidence of support to the North Korean Armed Forces, mainly through the delivery of air assets and technical assistance for local weapons development programs. As we reported in December of last year, U.S. INDOPACOM authorities hinted that Russia was preparing to send MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters to strengthen Pyongyang’s aircraft fleet, while in February of this year, Japanese media reported that Russia had also decided to support its ally’s mass drone production program.
The degree of linkage between the two also goes beyond the purely military sphere, considering that the report details transfers of more than one million barrels of fuel from Moscow to Pyongyang between March and October 2024, more than double the amount permitted under UN sanctions. Added to the list of violations of these sanctions is the reported employment of over 8,000 North Korean workers in various sectors of Russian industry, along with numerous financial transactions allegedly being conducted through banks located in the controversial region of South Ossetia, supported by Russia in its attempt to achieve autonomy from Georgia.
*Images used for illustrative purposes only
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