White House spokesperson John Kirby presented images reportedly showing railcars traveling between North Korea and Russia
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)A Russian paramilitary organisation in Ukraine has turned to North Korea as a supplier for munitions, US officials have said.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby unveiled satellite photographs showing the Wagner Group, often described as Vladimir Putin’s private army, taking delivery of an arms shipment from North Korea.
North Korea has repeatedly denied assisting Russia.
The US government on Friday also released an image from November 18 that it said showed rail cars traveling from Russia to North Korea.
Mr Kirby said the next day North Korea loaded those rail cars with shipping containers and the train returned to Russia.
He added that the information was shared with United Nations Security Council Sanctions Committee on North Korea.
The White House has increasingly expressed alarm about the Wagner Group’s growing involvement in the war as it has been particularly active in the intense fighting in Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.
The White House has said that in certain instances Russian military officials have even been “subordinate to Wagner’s command.”
Due to this, Mr Kirby said the US Treasury will now designate the Wagner Group as a significant Transnational Criminal Organization.
Adding: “In coordination with this designation, we will also impose additional sanctions next week against Wagner and its support network across multiple continents.
“These actions recognize the transcontinental threat that Wagner poses, including through its ongoing pattern of serious criminal activity.”
Mr Kirby added that the move was a result of Wagner’s ongoing operations in Ukraine, which he described as "committing atrocities and human rights abuses".
Mr Kirby said the US now assesses that Wagner has some 50,000 personnel fighting in Ukraine, including 10,000 contractors and 40,000 convicts that the company has recruited from prisons.
The US assesses that Wagner, owned by Mr Putin’s ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, is spending about $100million a month on the war.
"Wagner is becoming a rival power centre to the Russian military and other Russian ministries.
“Prigozhin and his fighters have criticized Russian generals and defence officials for their performance on the battlefield. Prigozhin is trying to advance his own interest in Ukraine and Wagner is making military decisions based largely on what they will generate for Prigozhin in terms of positive publicity," Mr Kirby said.
