New satellite images fuel speculation about Russian arms deals

Speculation about the possibility of North Korea supplying weapons for Russia to use in the war in Ukraine arose last month, when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un traveled to the Russian Far East to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and tour key military facilities. Foreign officials said Kim may have wanted to use the ammunition in exchange for some of the advanced weapons technology from Russia to advance Pyongyang’s nuclear program, AP reported.

Such speculations were fueled by recent satellite images showing a sharp increase in the number of freight trains at a railway station near the Russia-North Korea border.

Satellite image from October 5 shows 73 freight cars at North Korea's Tumangang railway facility.

"Given that Kim and Putin discussed a number of military exchanges and cooperation activities at their recent meeting, the significant increase in rail traffic could indicate that North Korea is supplying weapons and ammunition to Russia," Beyond Parallel, a website run by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS, based in Washington DC, USA), said in a report on October 6.

“However, the widespread use of tarpaulins to cover shipping containers and equipment makes it impossible to determine exactly what was seen at the Tumangang Railway Facility,” the report said.

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The report said satellite imagery taken on October 5 showed an “unprecedented level” of freight cars at Tumangang Station. The station is located in the North Korean city of Rason, across the border from the Russian city of Khasan and close to the tri-border junction between Russia, North Korea and China. The imagery showed about 73 cars at the facility, compared to about 20 cars at its busiest, according to satellite imagery taken over the past five years.

US and South Korean officials have warned that North Korea and Russia will face consequences if they go ahead with an arms transfer deal that is believed to violate UN Security Council resolutions. Moscow and Pyongyang have denied the arms sale.

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