Anonymous ID: c732a2 Dec. 26, 2023, 11:28 p.m. No.20136508   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>6514 >>6591 >>6815 >>6920 >>6941

Revived North Korean Port Aids Russia’s War Effort in Ukraine

By Jon Herskovitz (Bloomberg) — December 26, 2023

 

A dormant North Korean port near the border with Russia has sprung back to life, fueling what experts say is a burgeoning trade in arms destined for the frontlines in Ukraine that is simultaneously bolstering the anemic economy managed by Kim Jong Un.

 

Satellite imagery of the Najin port taken from October to December shows a steady stream of ships at the facility, hundreds of shipping containers being loaded and unloaded, and rail cars ready to transport goods.

 

The activity appears to have picked up since early October, when the US accused North Korea of sending munitions to Russia. The White House provided imagery it said showed weapons later being delivered thousands of miles away to a depot in the Russian town of Tikhoretsk for use in Ukraine.

 

The flow of munitions that the US and South Korea say have included hundreds of thousands of artillery shells could grow far greater in importance as divisions in the US Congress and European Union over military aid threaten Kyiv’s ability to repel Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

 

“Pyongyang’s decision to deliver munitions at scale once again underscores the grave threat that North Korea poses to international security, this time feeding a conflagration on European soil that has already cost the lives of tens of thousands of Ukrainians and consumed tens of billions of dollars in Western military support,” according to a report by the Royal United Services Institute, a UK security think tank.

 

Pyongyang, which has been banned from arms sales for about 15 years, has repeatedly rejected accusations it is supplying Russia.

 

Analysis of the satellite data suggests otherwise. In a recent example, an image from Dec. 9 seems to show the Russian container ship Angara, sanctioned by the US, in Najin’s port unloading cargo while containers from North Korea await loading at an adjacent pier.

 

“Satellite imagery shows that round trips of cargo vessels between Najin, North Korea, and Dunay, Russia, have continued unabatedly despite additional US sanctions and widespread reporting on this activity in the past few months,” said Jaewoo Shin, an analyst at the Open Nuclear Network in Vienna.

 

Shin said that while the nature of the cargo can’t be confirmed with available imagery, the number of round trips and transferred containers suggest a significant and ongoing exchange, possibly including weapons and other military supplies.

 

While satellite imagery shows steady activity at Najin, the vessels docking there appear to have turned off international maritime transponders that give their location, effectively turning them into ghost ships as they make the relatively short trip between Najin and Dunay — also written as Dunai — about 180 kilometers (110 miles) away. The Central Intelligence Agency identified the port as a Soviet submarine base during the Cold War, according to a document obtained by RUSI, the UK think tank.

 

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service told lawmakers in November there had been about 10 shipments of weapons from North Korea to Russia since August, likely encompassing more than 1 million rounds of artillery. North Korea holds some of the world’s largest stores of munitions, much of it interoperable with weapons Russia has on the front lines.

 

“The situation on the battlefield is impacted” by those deliveries, he said. “Rather than seeing a notable change in tactics or swaths of land suddenly changing hands, it will allow Russia to keep up much higher pressure for longer on Ukrainian forces.”

 

An extra one million shells means about 2,700 rounds more per day Russia could fire at Ukraine, which is already having trouble procuring artillery and may face more difficulty if aid from the US isn’t secured.

 

“With both Kim and Putin recognizing the utility and benefits of partnership, cooperation is likely to continue between North Korea and Russia into next year,” said Soo Kim, a former Korea analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency, who now works at US-based management consulting firm LMI.

 

“The give-and-take between the two countries is unlikely to be stopped so long as the international consequences — sanctions, reputational shaming — remain symbolic and largely insufficient to deter bad behavior,” she said.

 

More:

https://gcaptain.com/revived-north-korean-port-aids-russias-war-effort-in-ukraine/

Anonymous ID: c732a2 Dec. 26, 2023, 11:48 p.m. No.20136543   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>6551 >>6591 >>6815 >>6920 >>6941

>>20136513

New A2P, non-consumer non-compliance fees beginning January 1

Ashley White Updated 8 hours ago

 

What's happening?

 

Beginning January 1, 2024, T-Mobile is instituting three new fees for non-compliant A2P traffic sent by non-consumers that result in a Severity-0 violation. A Sev-0, (Severity-0) represents the most harmful violation to consumers and is the highest level of escalation with which a carrier will engage with Bandwidth. This applies to all commercial, non-consumer, A2P products (SMS or MMS Short Code, Toll-Free, and 10DLC) that traverse T-Mobile's network.

 

A Non-Consumer is a business, organization, or entity that uses messaging to communicate with Consumers. Examples include but are not limited to, large-to-small businesses, financial institutions, schools, medical practices, customer service entities, non-profit organizations, and political campaigns. Non-Consumers also include agents, representatives, or any other individuals acting on behalf of Non-Consumers or sending messages over a non-consumer platform.

 

The non-compliance fine(s) (USD) will be assessed for every Sev-0 violation issued as follows:

 

Tier 1: $2,000, for phishing, smishing, and social engineering

Social Engineering refers to the practice of targeting individuals in a way that manipulates individuals to reveal private information like credit card numbers, or social security numbers.

Tier 2: $1,000, for illegal content (included content must be legal in all 50 states and federally)

Illegal content includes, but is not limited to, Cannabis, Marijuana, CBD, Illegal Prescriptions, and Solicitation.

Tier 3: $500, for all other commercial messaging violations including, but not limited to, SHAFT that do not follow federal and state laws and regulations.

Please review the T-Mobile Code of Conduct Section 5 for prohibited content

 

What do I need to know?

 

If traffic continues to receive Sev-0 violations, carriers maintain the right to suspend a brand and remove access to their platforms, and Bandwidth may block traffic.

What do I need to do?

 

Ensure that all traffic leaving your network is wanted and compliant.

 

We recommend you review the following resources to ensure you are following the most up-to-date messaging requirements:

 

Messaging compliance and best practices

Messaging fraud mitigation practices

Section 5, “Prohibited Campaign Content,” in the T-Mobile Code of Conduct

 

https://support.bandwidth.com/hc/en-us/articles/19939626519575-New-non-compliance-fees-on-January-1

Anonymous ID: c732a2 Dec. 26, 2023, 11:55 p.m. No.20136558   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>6591 >>6815 >>6920 >>6941

Indian Navy Deploys Destroyers After Drone Strike

Reuters December 26, 2023

 

by Krishn Kaushik (Reuters) – The Indian navy will deploy guided-missile destroyers in the Arabian Sea as a deterrent after an Israel-affiliated merchant vessel was struck off the Indian coast over the weekend.

 

The navy was investigating the nature of the attack on the vessel, MV Chem Pluto, which docked in Mumbai on Monday, and initial reports pointed to a drone attack, a navy statement said.

 

“Further forensic and technical analysis will be required to establish the vector of attack, including type and amount of explosive used,” the statement added.

 

India was committed to keeping sea lanes in the Indian ocean region safe and secure for maritime trade, the defense minister said on Tuesday.

 

“India plays the role of a net security provider in the entire Indian Ocean region. We will ensure that maritime trade in this region rises from the sea to the heights of the sky,” Rajnath Singh said at the commissioning ceremony of another guided missile destroyer ship in Mumbai.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government had taken the drone attack on MV Chem Pluto and an earlier attack on commercial crude oil vessel MV Sai Baba, in the Red Sea, very seriously, Singh said.

 

“The Indian Navy has increased its surveillance of the seas. We shall find whoever is responsbible for this attack and strict action will be taken against them,” he said.

 

Iran’s foreign ministry on Monday called a U.S. claim that Iran had attacked the ship near India “baseless.”

 

The Pentagon said on Saturday that a drone launched from Iran struck the MV Chem Pluto in the Indian Ocean. The strike came as a U.S.-led task force is trying to counter similar challenges in the Red Sea.

 

“Considering the recent spate of attacks in the Arabian Sea, Indian Navy has deployed Guided Missile Destroyers, INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata …in various areas to maintain a deterrent presence,” the navy statement said.

 

The vessel’s crew included 21 Indians and one Vietnamese citizen.

 

https://gcaptain.com/indian-navy-destroyers-drone-strike/