The United States has accused North Korea of providing weapons to the Russian mercenary group Wagner for use in Ukraine. The White House said the shipment, allegedly containing battlefield missiles and rockets, violated UN Security Council resolutions. The US also stated it would announce further sanctions on Wagner.

Fighters from Wagner have increased from 1,000 to nearly 20,000 in Ukraine. The group has been active in Syria and African countries recently and has been accused of war crimes and human rights abuses repeatedly. Wagner is reportedly searching for arms suppliers for its military operations in Ukraine and the US national security spokesman estimates that Wagner is spending over $100 million a month in Ukraine. Both North Korea and Wagner deny the claims made by the United States. 

Read More: North Korea sold arms to Russia’s Wagner group, US says