The US propaganda machine is playing dirtier than ever in its information war against Russia By Vitaly Sovin After the publication of a recent story in the New York Times based on allegedly ‘declassified materials’ from US intelligence agencies about Russia’s ‘purchase’ of millions of artillery shells and missiles from North Korea for use in Ukraine, something went awry. Against the backdrop of statements from representatives of the State Department and the Department of Defense, who did not provide any factual information, John Kirby, the US National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communications, walked it back. He conceded that there were no indications that the arms purchase had actually occurred yet, or that any North Korean munitions had made it onto the battlefield in Ukraine. The narrative, however, serves a number of purposes: Highlighting the “serious logistical problems” for Russia and its local allies in the context of the military operation in Ukraine;