MOSCOW -- A recent theory that the intercontinental ballistic missiles North Korea tested in July were built using Soviet engines has raised questions over the potential involvement of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang's arms development.
The theory was sparked by an August report by Michael Elleman, senior fellow at the U.K.-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. In it, Elleman claimed that North Korea had acquired an improved version of a Soviet liquid-propellant engine produced by Yuzhmash, a state owned manufacturer based in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
