North Korea’s Missile Success Is Linked to Ukrainian Plant, Investigators Say - Polidicks

[quote] North Korea’s success in testing an intercontinental ballistic missile that appears able to reach the United States was made possible by black-market purchases of powerful rocket engines probably from a Ukrainian factory with historical ties to Russia’s missile program, according to an expert analysis being published Monday and classified assessments by American intelligence agencies. The studies may solve the mystery of how North Korea began succeeding so suddenly after a string of fiery missile failures, some of which may have been caused by American sabotage of its supply chains and cyberattacks on its launches. After those failures, the North changed designs and suppliers in the past two years, according to a new study by Michael Elleman, a missile expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Such a degree of aid to North Korea from afar would be notable because President Trump has singled out only China as the North’s main source of economic and technological support. He has never blamed Ukraine or Russia, though his secretary of state, Rex W. Tillerson, made an oblique reference to both China and Russia as the nation’s “principal economic enablers” after the North’s most recent ICBM launch last month. Analysts who studied photographs of the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, inspecting the new rocket motors concluded that they derive from designs that once powered the Soviet Union’s missile fleet. The engines were so powerful that a single missile could hurl 10 thermonuclear warheads between continents. [/quote] [url="https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/world/asia/north-korea-missiles-ukraine-factory.html"]The New York Times[/url] Again, it comes all back to Paul Manafort.

I'm concerned this will be spun on a pro-Russian/anti-Ukraine angle, despite the fact the engines would likely have been made under the Soviet Union and could very easily have been transferred by the Russians to North Korea. Giving the West grief by transferring missile technology to North Korea would be an easy way to one-up the West.

It'd also be a shitty casus belli, but still a casus belli. At least, that was probably the original plan.

[QUOTE=Llamaguy;52571831]Again, it comes all back to Paul Manafort.[/QUOTE] I don't see Manafort anywhere in the article tho

[QUOTE=Gwoodman;52571907]I don't see Manafort anywhere in the article tho[/QUOTE] Manafort was a key player in the removal of the Ukrainian president for Russian interests.

[QUOTE=Llamaguy;52571942]Manafort was a key player in the removal of the Ukrainian president for Russian interests.[/QUOTE] I don't think Manafort had anything to do with it

[QUOTE=Llamaguy;52571942]Manafort was a key player in the removal of the Ukrainian president for Russian interests.[/QUOTE] And? What the fuck does that have to do with missiles being sold to North Korea? Really straw grasping here.

[QUOTE=download;52571861]I'm concerned this will be spun on a pro-Russian/anti-Ukraine angle, despite the fact the engines would likely have been made under the Soviet Union and could very easily have been transferred by the Russians to North Korea. Giving the West grief by transferring missile technology to North Korea would be an easy way to one-up the West.[/QUOTE] What does origin of rocket dating back to soviet union has to do with a fact that it was sold out from modern Ukraine? Come on people, judging by current state of affairs in Ukraine - wich is corrupt as fuck, no need to deny possibility that somebody decided to snag away few rocket engines from old Dnepropetrovsk facility for own personal wealth.

[QUOTE=karimatrix;52572147]What does origin of rocket dating back to soviet union has to do with a fact that it was sold out from modern Ukraine? Come on people, judging by current state of affairs in Ukraine - wich is corrupt as fuck, no need to deny possibility that somebody decided to snag away few rocket engines from old Dnepropetrovsk facility for own personal wealth.[/QUOTE] I would suggest that considering it was once operated through the Russian gov there is no reason to believe that the Russian gov still does not hold ownership of everything produced there. Russia is not above doing blackmarket trade deals. I'd wager this was Russia selling directly to NK under the guise of a 'privatized' company as to not disclose the fact that Russia is selling missle tech to NK. No private entity or corporation is more corrupt than the Russian government. Especially when it comes to selling property of the government, whether they admit ownership of the tech or not.

If a meteor hit the US, someone, somehow would connect it with Russia.

[QUOTE=AntonioR;52572252]If a meteor hit the US, someone, somehow would connect it with Russia.[/QUOTE] I'd doubt that. Are we forgetting here that NK was allied with the soviet union after the Korean war? They even got schematics for the AK-47 from the Russians and redesigned it into the Type-58 which they still use as their standard issue rifle today. This is really just a plain logical consistency with what this article identifies. What possible hand would a private black market entity have in this scenario? It's much more likely Russia has been involved with providing tech to NK since the soviet era.

who to trust ? the Russians ? the Chinese ? the Americans ? nope, let's ask the true pro in Mossad ... i mean it's known Ukraine sells weapons but to NK while US is helping them ? they would not risk losing ally when they need it on the other hand, the level of corruption in Ukraien is sky-high so anything is possible i fear

[QUOTE=karimatrix;52572147]What does origin of rocket dating back to soviet union has to do with a fact that it was sold out from modern Ukraine? Come on people, judging by current state of affairs in Ukraine - wich is corrupt as fuck, no need to deny possibility that somebody decided to snag away few rocket engines from old Dnepropetrovsk facility for own personal wealth.[/QUOTE] Thankyou for proving my point. What evidence they came from modern Ukraine?

[QUOTE]Another scientific paper, published on Friday in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, also notes that the RD-250 — or the variant RD-251 — is the probable basis for the tests. It was likely to have been manufactured by NPO Energomash, in Russia, and the paper said the rocket motor is “associated” with rocket and space launch vehicles in Ukraine. However, it is more conservative about the possible timing for any transfers, saying it “probably” obtained the motor in vast shipments that took place in the late 1980s and early 1990s. [/QUOTE] [url]https://www.ft.com/content/546d01ae-80fc-11e7-94e2-c5b903247afd[/url] So yeah these could have come from both countries, anytime in the past 30 years. Also I wouldn't rule out the the fact that the whole deal was facilitated through private entities only. I mean NK and a few crafty dealers have managed to bypass one of the strictest embargoes in the world, when they acquired about 90 American made MD500 helicopters in the 80s.

[QUOTE=Megadave;52571879]It'd also be a shitty casus belli, but still a casus belli. At least, that was probably the original plan.[/QUOTE] against who? we're not gonna go to war with russia, and we really don't want to go to war with north korea. if it does turn out to be that they stole some soviet engines, it might actually be great for us since that means they really haven't made this giant leap forward