North Korea sold arms to Russia's Wagner group, US says
The United States has accused North Korea of supplying battlefield missiles and rockets to the Russian mercenary group Wagner for use in Ukraine, BBC reports.
The White House said the shipment violated UN Security Council resolutions and that it would announce further sanctions on Wagner. Both North Korea and Wagner have denied the reports. Fighters from the mercenary group have ballooned from 1,000 to nearly 20,000 in Ukraine, the UK government says. The group has also been active recently in Syria and African countries, and has repeatedly been accused of war crimes and human rights abuses. "Wagner is searching around the world for arms suppliers to support its military operations in Ukraine," White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters. "We can confirm that North Korea has completed an initial arms delivery to Wagner, which paid for that equipment," he said. The White House says the mercenary group took delivery of infantry rockets and missiles from North Korea. Mr Kirby said Wagner is spending more than $100 million (£82 million) each month in Ukraine. He added that the group now rivals the Russian military in power.
