The latest images captured by satellite show an "unprecedented" increase in freight rail traffic on the border between Russia and North Korea, after the summit held between the leaders of both countries in which bilateral military cooperation was reportedly discussed.
The study published the day before by the specialized website Beyond Parallel reveals the presence of 73 freight cars at the Tumangang station in Rason, a North Korean city bordering Russia.
This is, according to analysts, a much larger volume than that observed at this station over the last five years, even taking into account pre-pandemic levels, since the global health crisis led the regime to shield its borders, according to the study of the specialized website, attached to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington.
These satellite photographs have emerged after the summit held in September in Russian territory between the president of that country, Vladimir Putin, and the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-un, in which they could have addressed issues of military cooperation, although the details of their conversations and agreements have not emerged.
"Given that Kim and Putin discussed certain military exchanges and cooperation at their recent summit, the dramatic increase in rail traffic possibly indicates the supply of weapons and ammunition to Russia," the study's conclusions note.
"However, the extensive use of covers on wagons and containers makes it impossible to conclusively identify what was observed at the Tumangang station," adds the report signed by Joseph Bermudez, Victor Cha and Jennifer Jun.
Seoul and Washington have criticized any possible arms exchange between Russia and North Korea and warned that if it occurred, it would lead to the violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, which were supported at the time by Moscow.
Kim's trip to Russia lasted seven days and was the longest abroad to date by the North Korean leader since he came to power more than a decade ago.
Although the details of their meetings have not been made public, Putin assured after the meeting that there is room for military and space cooperation between the two countries.
American media collected information from intelligence sources in that country according to which Kim would be willing to support Moscow's war in Ukraine with "millions" of anti-tank missiles and artillery ammunition, while Pyongyang would receive, in addition to food aid, technology in exchange. satellite or nuclear-powered submarines.
The American network CBS has even pointed out that North Korea has already begun supplying artillery to Russia for its military operations in Ukraine.
