North Korea Ships 16,000 Containers Of Munitions To Russia For War With Ukraine

A recent investigation by Reuters and the UK-based Open Source Centre (OSC) has revealed that Russian artillery forces have become heavily dependent on North Korean ammunition.

According to Russian military documents and open-source research, nearly all artillery munitions used by Russia in the ongoing conflict are now supplied by North Korea.

Between September 2023 and March 2025, four Russian-flagged vessels, namely, Angara, Maria, Maia-1, and Lady R, made a total of 64 trips between North Korea and Russian ports.

These ships carried around 16,000 containers from the North Korean port of Rajin to Russia’s Vostochny and Dunai ports.

The containers are estimated to include between 4 to 6 million artillery shells, which were later transported by rail to ammunition storage sites near the front lines in Ukraine.

This massive supply from North Korea contrasts sharply with Russia’s domestic production of artillery shells. In 2024, Russia is believed to have produced only about 2.3 million shells, according to Ukrainian and Western officials.

Despite the evidence, the Kremlin denied any arms trade with North Korea in October 2023, stating there was no proof of such activities.

However, Reuters reviewed at least six Russian artillery unit reports showing that some units relied on North Korean munitions for up to 100% of their shelling operations in Ukraine.

Three other reports did not mention North Korean shells.

Defense expert Konrad Muzyka from the Poland-based Rochan Consulting noted that North Korean supplies played a key role in allowing Russia to maintain its operational pace on the battlefield since late 2023.

Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Agency (GUR) also confirmed the importance of these supplies, stating that Russian artillery firepower would have been reduced by half without support from North Korea.

Hugh Griffiths, the former coordinator of the UN panel overseeing sanctions on North Korea, added that President Vladimir Putin would struggle to continue the war without Chairman Kim Jong Un’s military backing.

The OSC and Reuters confirmed the North Korean arms shipments through a combination of satellite imagery, verified social media footage, intercepted Russian military reports, and input from three senior Ukrainian government and military officials.

North Korea has also delivered ballistic missiles, long-range artillery, and multiple-launch rocket systems to Russia.

This represents the most substantial direct military support Russia has received for its war efforts, alongside Iran’s drone technology and China’s economic assistance.

The weapons partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang first gained attention in 2023 but became more critical recently when North Korean military personnel, equipment, and ammunition were sent to help Russian troops push back Ukrainian forces from the Kursk region.

By January 2025, approximately 4,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed or injured in fighting in Kursk, according to a South Korean security source.

North Korea later sent an additional 3,000 troops in February.

Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov reported that since late 2024, North Korea has supplied Russia with 120 self-propelled long-range artillery systems and 120 multiple-launch rocket systems.

Some of this equipment was recorded by Ukrainian drones operating in Kursk.

Although Western nations, including a Czech initiative to deliver 1.6 million shells, have supported Ukraine militarily since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, that aid has been inconsistent and increasingly uncertain.

No Western country has sent soldiers to fight in Ukraine.

North Korea’s delegation at the United Nations in New York and Geneva, its embassy in London, Russia’s Ministry of Defense, and South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense and National Intelligence Service did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comments on these findings.

Reference: Reuters

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