Ukraine uses North Korean rockets to attack Russian forces: FT

July 29 (Reuters) – Ukrainian soldiers were observed using North Korean rockets that they said were seized by a “friendly” country before being handed over to Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on Saturday.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry suggested that the weapons were seized from the Russians, the newspaper said.

The United States has accused North Korea of ​​supplying Russia with weapons, including alleged shipments by sea, but has offered no evidence and no North Korean weapons have been observed on battlefields in Ukraine.

North Korea and Russia deny conducting arms deals.

The North Korean weapons were displayed by Ukrainian troops operating Soviet-era Grad multiple launch rocket systems near the destroyed eastern city of Bakhmut, the site of long and brutal fighting, according to the report.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made a rare visit to Pyongyang this week to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, the first visit by Moscow’s top defense official since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.

During the visit, Shoigu was photographed viewing banned North Korean ballistics. missiles with leader Kim Jong Un at a military expo in Pyongyang, signaling deeper ties between the two countries as they clash with the United States.

Reporting by Josh Smith and Soo-hyang Choi; Edited by William Mallard

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