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| Russia's President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un meet in Pyongyang(via REUTERS) |
Pyongyang - A senior Ukrainian presidential aide on Wednesday accused North Korea of actively cooperating with Russia to provide military resources being used for the "mass murder" of civilians in the ongoing war in Ukraine. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, lambasted the inadequacy of international sanctions against Pyongyang and Moscow during an interview with AFP.
"There is no doubt that North Korea is actively cooperating with Russia in the military sphere today and deliberately provides resources for the mass murder of Ukrainians," Podolyak stated. He cited intelligence reports that North Korean artillery shells are helping sustain Russia's "high intensity" bombardments across Ukraine, contributing to mounting civilian casualties.
The United States and its allies have repeatedly alleged that North Korea has been supplying ammunition and missiles to aid Russia's military campaign. Ukrainian forces have also reported recovering fragments of North Korean munitions on battlefields. "This has an impact on the course of events in the war as a whole and significantly increases the number of civilian casualties," the aide warned.
Podolyak blasted the "absolute incapacity" of current sanctions regimes against Russia and North Korea, calling for much stricter measures to achieve "real isolation" of the two nations. His comments followed Russian President Vladimir Putin's state visit to Pyongyang, where he advocated for easing sanctions on North Korea while touting their joint opposition to "U.S. hegemony."
The Ukrainian official's stern rebuke highlights growing concerns over the deepening military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang amid Russia's protracted invasion of Ukraine. As civilian suffering mounts, Kyiv is urging stronger international action to sever the lifelines enabling the brutal bombardment of cities and towns across the embattled nation.
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