From 50 to 100 percent of the shells that Russian artillery fires at Ukrainian Armed Forces units were supplied from North Korea, according to a joint investigation by the agency Reuters and the British research organization Open Source Centre. The analysis of sea and land deliveries was confirmed by reports from Russian artillery intercepted by Kyiv, satellite images, and verified videos on social media, as well as three high-ranking Ukrainian government and military sources.
Weapons supplies from the DPRK to Russia began no later than September 2023. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the supply package included 120 multiple launch rocket systems, 120 self-propelled artillery installations, 145 ballistic missiles, and artillery shells of 122 mm and 152 mm caliber.
One of the experts in the Ukrainian armed forces told Reuters that the share of North Korean contribution reaches 70%, the agency found that sometimes Russian artillery units were almost completely dependent on North Korean ammunition.
Six out of nine internal reports of the Russian Ministry of Defense, representing daily summaries of weapon usage, reviewed by the agency, showed that North Korean ammunition was predominant. Two reports from this year showed that on one day the units used 100% North Korean ammunition, and on another — 75%.
From September 2023 to March 17, 2025, Russian cargo ships “Angara,” “Maria,” “Maya-1,” and “Lady R” transported military cargo from the port of Rajin in the DPRK to Russian ports Dunay and Vostochny 64 times. In total, there were at least 15,809 containers, according to satellite images. Also, cargo from North Korea was transported by the “Friendship Bridge” railway over the Tumen River to Primorye.
The peak of deliveries, seven shipments per month, occurred in January 2024, now cargo ships transport about three shipments of shells per month. The shells are transported by rail to warehouses near the Russian-Ukrainian border, mainly to Tikhoretsk.
According to the most modest estimates of analysts, from 4 to 6 million artillery shells alone could have been transported in the containers. According to the assessment of Western and Ukrainian officials, in 2024 Russia independently produced 2–2.3 million shells and plans to increase volumes to 3 million per year in the future. The Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine told Reuters that since mid-2023, North Korea has supplied 4 million artillery shells, more than three-quarters of which are 122 mm and 152 mm shells, which form the basis of Russia's ground armament. The Main Intelligence Directorate noted that North Korea also supplies mortar shells, but did not include them in this figure.
Since the end of 2023, Russia has also been hitting Ukrainian cities with North Korean ballistic missiles KN-23 and KN-24. Initially, these missiles had low accuracy. The latest versions of missiles produced by the DPRK hit the target with an error of 50–100 meters, says a source from Reuters in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
According to a South Korean security source, by January about 4,000 North Korean soldiers were killed or wounded fighting against Ukrainian troops since they first arrived in Kursk in late autumn. By mid-February, North Korea sent another 3,000 people — and this reinforcement was better prepared, says Oleg Shiryaev, commander of the 225th Separate Assault Regiment of Ukraine, which is fighting in Kursk. “They have adapted to modern combat conditions,” the officer noted.
Photo: Reuters