Ukraine’s Crimea Incursion: North Korean Rocket Connection
Ukrainian soldiers have been seen in possession of North Korean rockets that they allegedly took from Moscow’s forces and are about to invade the Russian-occupied Crimea.
According to Ukrainian news outlet TSN, Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the Ukrainian military’s defense intelligence, did not specify the time that the operation would start.
Since Russia invaded and annexed Crimea in 2014, regaining control of the region has become a top priority for Ukraine, which has been waging a sluggish but persistent counteroffensive for weeks. According to British defense experts, violence has increased over the past two days close to Robotyne, a village close to Orikhiv.
The Financial Times stated that the Ukrainian military has been seen carrying North Korean rockets. Despite Moscow and the hermit kingdom denying that they had engaged in any arms trade, Ukraine’s defense minister claimed that the weapons had been taken from Russia.
Near the war-torn city of Bakhmut, which has seen some of the most violent and protracted combat in the conflict, Ukrainian soldiers operating Grad multiple-launch rocket systems from the Soviet era demonstrated the rockets.
Unreliable Missiles Raise Concerns for Ukrainian Troops
The missiles, which were produced in the 1980s and 1990s, are exceedingly unreliable and occasionally do strange things, according to a Ukrainian artillery commander, who stated his troops don’t like employing them.
However, they could not provide any additional information. Ukrainian forces also claimed that a friendly nation had taken the missiles from a ship. According to US intelligence, Moscow bought millions of missiles and artillery rounds from North Korea in September 2022, and the White House claimed in March that it had proof that North Korea was providing Russia with weapons in exchange for food.
Recently, Vladimir Putin has also been courting North Korea, sending his senior military officials to meet with Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang on Thursday to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Truce.
Source: nypost.com
