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 radical Wagner for usage successful Ukraine.

The White House said the shipment violated UN Security Council resolutions and that it would denote further sanctions connected Wagner.

Both North Korea and Wagner person denied the reports.

Fighters from the mercenary radical person ballooned from 1,000 to astir 20,000 successful Ukraine, the UK authorities says.

The radical has besides been progressive precocious successful Syria and African countries, and has repeatedly been accused of warfare crimes and quality rights abuses.

"Wagner is searching astir the satellite for arms suppliers to enactment its subject operations successful Ukraine," White House nationalist information spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.

"We tin corroborate that North Korea has completed an archetypal arms transportation to Wagner, which paid for that equipment," helium said.

The White House says the mercenary radical took transportation of infantry rockets and missiles from North Korea.

Mr Kirby said Wagner is spending much than $100 cardinal (£82 million) each period successful Ukraine.

He added that the radical present rivals the Russian subject successful power.

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said Britain agreed with Washington's assessment.

"The information that President (Vladimir) Putin is turning to North Korea for assistance is simply a motion of Russia's desperation and isolation," Mr Cleverly said successful a statement.

But Wagner proprietor Yevgeny Prigozhin denied the assertion, calling it "gossip and speculation", portion North Korea's overseas ministry called the reports "groundless".

Its presumption "remains unchanged" and the transaction of arms betwixt North Korea and Russia "has ne'er happened", a North Korean spokesperson said.

The Wagner radical is believed to person archetypal gone into enactment during Russia's annexation of Crimea successful 2014.

Its owner, Mr Prigozhin, is an oligarch known arsenic "Putin's chef" - alleged due to the fact that helium roseate from being a restaurateur and caterer for the Kremlin.

Wagner's power and beingness has drastically strengthened arsenic Russia's penetration of Ukraine has suffered aggregate setbacks.

In March 2022, Wagner was thought to person sent an archetypal unit of conscionable implicit 1,000. But UK officials accidental that fig has present grown to much than 20,000 - astir 10% of the full Russian forces connected the ground.

Wagner's inflated ranks are linked to its targeted recruitment of convicts successful Russian prisons. UK officials accidental unfastened root estimates suggest that the numbers of convicts successful Russian prisons fell by much than 23,000 successful the 2 months starring up to November 2022 - the play successful which it was recruiting.

Many convicts are believed to person joined Wagner - though determination are nary precise numbers. In instrumentality they person been told they volition get paid and person their sentences commuted aft serving six months connected the beforehand line.