Report: Russia Linked to North Korean Missile Advances

[DonViejo]

Source: The Daily Beast


North Korea’s rapid missile-program improvements can likely be traced back to a black-market factory that used to produce the Soviet Union’s most deadly weaponry, according to a new report and classified assessments by U.S. intel agencies. It is not believed that North Korea could have made such big leaps forward in their nuclear-weapons program without outside help. The former Soviet factory is just over the Russian border in Ukraine. “It’s likely that these engines came from Ukraine—probably illicitly,” Michael Elleman of the International Institute for Strategic Studies told The New York Times. “The big question is how many they have and whether the Ukrainians are helping them now. I’m very worried.”

READ IT AT THE NEW YORK TIMES

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Read more: http://www.thedailybeast.com/russia-seen-linked-to-north-korean-missile-advances

[underpants]

1. Knew it but it's good that there's some confirmation

[harun]

2. Yes, a number of us were thinking this to be likely. Question is this a Putin thing or a Ukraine

money thing?

Probably Putin.

[underpants]

4. Them or the Chinese. This is actually more than bad news

I had hoped that if it were China or Putin's doing that they had retained some sort of control or access. This would give them a way to kill the technology. This appears to be a rogue operation BUT I'm sure an oligarch or two were involved.

[marylandblue]

8. Has to be Putin

Eastern Ukraine is under his control, and I find it hard to believe anyone could move missiles across Russia without him knowing about it.

[PearliePoo2]

3. This is BAD, really BAD.

Did donald's BFF Pootie know about this? Most likely.

[Botany]

5. And what are the odds that these missile parts are being shipped to N.K. w/out Putin's OK?

[harun]

7. Probably 0. They got too good, too fast in the last two years. This is Putin's thorn to our side.

[Botany]

9. You are right ... "They got too good, too fast."

Less then 2 years ago they were shooting missiles that were not getting that high,
or blowing up, and/or landing in the sea of japan off the N. Korean coast but now
the missiles are getting well into near space and flying @ least 1,500 miles.

**********

From the NY Times Article

“This information is not based on any grounds, provocative by its content, and most likely provoked by Russian secret services to cover their own crimes,” Mr. Turchynov said. He said the Ukrainian government views North Korea as “totalitarian, dangerous and unpredictable, and supports all sanctions against this country.”

How the Russian-designed engines, called the RD-250, got to North Korea is still a mystery.

Mr. Elleman was unable to rule out the possibility that a large Russian missile enterprise, Energomash, which has strong ties to the Ukrainian complex, had a role in the transfer of the RD-250 engine technology to North Korea. He said leftover RD-250 engines might also be stored in Russian warehouses.

But the fact that the powerful engines did get to North Korea, despite a raft of United Nations sanctions, suggests a broad intelligence failure involving the many nations that monitor Pyongyang.

[madokie]

6. No doubt in my mind

tRump wants so badly to get a war on

[bluestarone]

10. i have no doubt

PUTIN is involved and maybe dipshit trump is too dumb to see

[Chakaconcarne]

11. I wouldn't be surprised if Trump or Putin is directing N Korea's rhetoric....

and then out of nowhere, trump will stomp his feet and Kim Jong Un will go back into his hole - "US saved by tough Trump".

[KRISITNA]

12. China, Russia and NK--The are partnering up and 45s too stupid to see it-PUTIN PUPPY

[Bradical79]

15. China?

They're the last country that wants this sort of escalation. They're stuck trying to diffuse the situation while hoping to maintain their buffer. They don't benefit in the slightest from what's going on.

[riversedge]

13. Congress needs to hold hearings on this

[Clarity2]

14. I just knew

it would lead back to russia (or china who also were purportedly found to supply components). They advanced the distance of their missiles way too fast. This is scary to hear it confirmed.

[rockfordfile]

16. Trump is supporting this. He needs NK to uptick. Sick un-American

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

17. I suspected it wasn't home grown

The advances in NK missile capability seemed too quick

[sarisataka]

18. That would explain a lot n/t

[dalton99a]

19. Kick.