Putin trades prized horses for Kim Jong Un’s artillery shells

Vladimir Putin allegedly sent North Korean leader Kim Jong Un 24 Orlov Trotters as partial payment for artillery shells for the war in Ukraine. These are the favorite horses of the North Korean dictator.

According to "The Times," 24 horses – 19 stallions and five mares – were transported last Sunday.

It is known that Orlov Trotters are Kim's favorite breed, and he often appears on such horses in propaganda photos distributed by the North Korean regime. In 2022, thirty horses of this breed were also sent to Pyongyang.

South Korean media reported that the new delivery of horses is part of the payment for artillery shells sent to the Russian military for use against Ukraine.

In June, Putin and Kim signed a "strategic partnership agreement," obliging both countries to military cooperation. According to the media, the North Korean leader gifted Putin with a pair of locally bred dogs in the same month. Putin reciprocated in August by sending 447 goats to North Korea.

North Korea sent over 13,000 containers to Russia, which could hold about 6 million 6-inch artillery shells - reported the South Korean portal Yonhap News TV on Wednesday. Support for Moscow has been flowing from Pyongyang since mid-2022.

In a report cited by Deputy Kang Dae Sik, it was stated that North Korea might have supplied Russia with, among other things, 5-inch artillery shells, mobile anti-aircraft missiles, and anti-tank missiles. Their transport is carried out through the port in Najin, located on the North Korean-Russian border.

"To prepare for a prolonged war in Ukraine, Russia has moved to formalize North Korea as a supply base for weapons and ammunition," assessed the South Korean Defense Intelligence Agency.