Ukraine has been hit by a surge in Russian ballistic missile attacks, about a third of which used North Korean weapons that can only fly because they run on Western circuitry, obtained despite sanctions, according to Ukrainian military officials.
A report released earlier this year by the UK-based investigative organization Conflict Armament Research, or CAR, found that 75% of components in one of the first North Korean missiles used to attack Ukraine were from US-based companies.
There is no reliable information on how exactly the components make their way into North Korea, according to weapons-tracing experts. But all signs to point to China as the likely conduit, experts say.
“We have successfully traced some of those components, and the last known custodians are Chinese companies,” said Damien Spleeters, deputy director of operations at CAR, which works to independently document diverted weapons. That means Chinese firms bought the components from manufacturers and a series of intermediaries.
“The diversion rarely happens at the plant that makes the components,” he told CNN.
CAR has a policy of not “naming and shaming” specific manufacturers because there is no evidence the firms deliberately shipped the parts to North Korea.
“Some parts of these components may be actually fake and made in China,” said Victoria Vyshnivska, a senior researcher at NAKO. “But we cannot be 100% sure,” she added, as the companies in question often failed to respond to questions.
One manufacturer was able to provide NAKO with evidence that a low-value electronic component found in a North Korean missile was counterfeit.
Meanwhile, Vyshnivska said, some other manufacturers are choosing not to pursue better control of their exports, as more detailed record-keeping and company audits would incur costs. “It’s ignorance that is sometimes, maybe, driven by money,” she told CNN.
Here is the significant excerpt:
A report released earlier this year by the UK-based investigative organization Conflict Armament Research, or CAR, found that 75% of components in one of the first North Korean missiles used to attack Ukraine were from US-based companies.
There is no reliable information on how exactly the components make their way into North Korea, according to weapons-tracing experts. But all signs to point to China as the likely conduit, experts say.
“We have successfully traced some of those components, and the last known custodians are Chinese companies,” said Damien Spleeters, deputy director of operations at CAR, which works to independently document diverted weapons. That means Chinese firms bought the components from manufacturers and a series of intermediaries.
“The diversion rarely happens at the plant that makes the components,” he told CNN.
CAR has a policy of not “naming and shaming” specific manufacturers because there is no evidence the firms deliberately shipped the parts to North Korea.
“Some parts of these components may be actually fake and made in China,” said Victoria Vyshnivska, a senior researcher at NAKO. “But we cannot be 100% sure,” she added, as the companies in question often failed to respond to questions.
One manufacturer was able to provide NAKO with evidence that a low-value electronic component found in a North Korean missile was counterfeit.
Meanwhile, Vyshnivska said, some other manufacturers are choosing not to pursue better control of their exports, as more detailed record-keeping and company audits would incur costs. “It’s ignorance that is sometimes, maybe, driven by money,” she told CNN.