N Korea poses biggest threat to Kyiv: intel chief

KYIV: The military aid North Korea provides to Russia, including large amounts of ammunition, is the most damaging for Ukraine, its intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said Saturday.

He was speaking at a conference organised by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation in Kyiv, where he answered a question on support from other Russian allies, Iran and China.

“Our biggest problem from all these allies of Russia is from North Korea. Because with the volume of military products that they supply, they actually affect the intensity of the fighting,” Budanov said.

His remarks came as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to deepen ties with Russia as he held talks with visiting security chief Sergei Shoigu.

Kyiv has been monitoring arms deliveries from Pyongyang to Moscow and feels their effect on the battlefield.

“There is a direct correlation. They are supplying huge volumes of artillery ammunition, which is critical,” Budanov continued.

Besides foreign aid, Moscow is also investing in its own weapons, including by developing and ramping up the production of its Iskander missiles.