North Korea providing illegal cluster munitions to Russia for Ukraine war, finds probe

In addition to soldiers and artillery supplies, it has emerged that North Korea has been providing illegal cluster munitions to Russia for its war on Ukraine.

Investigators from the Conflict Armament Research (CAR), a British weapons research group, have found that Russia has been using North Korea cluster munitions in its drones that are modified versions of American munitions first used in the 1990s.

Cluster munitions are weapons that contain smaller sub-munitions inside them —called bomblets— that are dispersed in the air. A cluster munition may contain dozens to hundreds of bomblets that are dispersed over a wide area, sometimes as large as thousands of square metres. Each bomblet explodes on impact. Such munitions are banned under international law but several major powers, such as the United States, Russia, Ukraine, and India, have rejected the ban.

Investigators from the CAR found that Russia had used North Korean cluster munitions in its drones used to attack Kherson as early as last month.

Such a partnership between Russia and North Korea has not been previously reported.

Along with China, North Korea has emerged as the principal supporter of Russia in the war on Ukraine. Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un has provided around 15,000 soldiers that fought on the frontlines in key battles to Russia. He also supplied artillery pieces, missiles, and artillery shells to Russia, with some estimates saying that North Korea has consistently supplied around half of Russia’s artillery requirement in the war.

North Korea builds upon US munitions to help Russia

Bomblets in North Korean cluster munitions appear to be a copy of an American munition, the M42 Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munition, that was first used in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, Damien Spleeters of CAR told The New York Times.

In its report, the CAR said that the North Korean munition appears to be used in both anti-personnel and anti-armour roles.

Among the many modifications, the North Koreans removed the arming and stabilisation ribbon mechanism and replaced it with a 3D-printed detonator holder and added an electric detonator, according to the report.

The usage of 3D-printed parts suggests that weapon-makers are improvising in the lack of proper suppliers, resorting to ingenious ways to secure supplies.