Russia continues to deepen bilateral relations with Iran and North Korea, receiving lethal weapons for use in the war against Ukraine.
Points of attention
- The Russian Federation uses lethal aid from Iran and North Korea to wage war against Ukraine.
- Iran and North Korea are actively providing Russia with weapons and components to strengthen its military power.
- Relations between these countries contain a potential threat to stability and security in the region.
- Ukraine may have a chance for effective resistance if it receives support from international partners and equipment of the appropriate level.
Iran and North Korea are providing Russia with lethal aid for the war in Ukraine
Analysts note that Russia continues to deepen bilateral relations with Iran and North Korea in exchange for providing lethal assistance to the Russian military for use in Ukraine.
Iran's state-run Mehr News Agency reported that Iran will launch its Khod-Hod and Kosar satellites into low-Earth orbit from an unspecified Russian station in October 2024.
The Bank of South Korea estimates that North Korea's heavy and chemical industries, including iron, steel, copper, nickel and aluminum production, will grow the most in 2023 at 8.1%.
South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik has previously said that Russia's supply of food to North Korea in exchange for weapons helped North Korea stabilize prices and likely boosted domestic production in North Korea.
In addition, North Korea has reportedly transferred up to 4.8 million artillery shells to Russia, and Iran has supplied Russia with Shahed-136/131 drones and their components.
Cooperation between Russia and the DPRK
On June 19, Russian ruler Vladimir Putin flew to the DPRK for the first time in 24 years and met with Kim Jong Un. Politicians signed documents that strengthen cooperation.
After that, the head of the national security department of the administration of the president of South Korea, Jang Ho-jin, said that Seoul will not be bound by anything in terms of helping Ukraine if Russia transfers high-precision weapons to North Korea.
Forbes wrote that Ukraine will be able to destroy Russian planes if it receives South Korean missiles.
