North Korean ammunition now accounts for roughly half of Russia’s artillery supply in Ukraine, Reuters reports. Since September 2023, Pyongyang has made 64 arms shipments to Russia, delivering an estimated 4 to 6 million artillery shells, according to conservative figures from the Open Source Centre (OSC). The flow has remained steady, with deliveries continuing into February and March 2025.
Russian forces have established a robust supply chain with North Korea, using cargo vessels, including the Angara, Maria, Maya-1, and Lady R. These ships transport weapons from North Korea’s Rajin port to Russia’s Vostochny and Dunay ports. The ammunition is then transported by rail to storage facilities near the Ukrainian border.
Between September 2023 and March 2025, these vessels completed 64 voyages, delivering approximately 16,000 containers to Russia. OSC analysis suggests these containers could hold between 4 and 6 million artillery shells, significantly supplementing Russia’s domestic production, which Ukrainian and Western officials estimate at 2 to 2.3 million shells in 2024.
The peak of deliveries occurred in January 2024, with seven separate shipments from North Korea to Russia. On average, the vessels made three trips per month.
Pyongyang sends weapons—Moscow tests and deploys
Beyond artillery shells, Moscow has received ballistic missiles, long-range artillery systems, and multiple rocket launchers from Pyongyang. Ukrainian intelligence estimates North Korea has supplied Russia with:
- 148 KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles
- 120 long-range self-propelled artillery units
- 120 multiple launch rocket systems
Before deployment, North Korean shells undergo testing at the Luzhsky artillery range. Russian instruction manuals for using North Korean shells with the M-46 howitzer specifically warn against leaving shells in a hot barrel for more than three minutes.
North Korea has improved its missile technology through battlefield testing in Ukraine. Initially, their ballistic missiles proved inaccurate and unreliable, but newer versions have become significantly more precise, with the latest variants accurate to within 50-100 meters of their targets.
Russia ramps up firepower as Ukraine feels the pressure
Ukrainian officials, including intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, confirm that North Korean shells now account for half of the Russian army’s ammunition at the front. Some Russian units rely even more heavily on these supplies—in some cases using up to 100% North Korean ammunition.
Evidence of North Korean ammunition appeared in six of nine Russian artillery unit reports reviewed by Reuters. Two units this year reportedly used exclusively North Korean shells on one day and 75% on another. Last summer, a unit in Zaporizhzhia reported using up to 50% North Korean shells in D-20 howitzers and 100% North Korean 122mm rockets.
These North Korean supplies have given Russia a significant artillery advantage in the trench warfare that has characterized the conflict since late 2022.
“Without North Korea’s help, Russian shelling of Ukrainian defensive positions would have been halved,” stated Ukrainian Defense Intelligence (GUR).
The impact was especially pronounced in fall 2023, when Ukraine’s ammunition supplies were depleted, and it reduced its rate of fire, while new US military aid packages for Kyiv were stalled in Congress.
“This allowed Russian forces to maintain an offensive posture and sustained pressure on Ukrainian troops throughout most of 2024 and into 2025,” said military analyst Konrad Muzyka.
Additionally, approximately 4,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded fighting against Ukrainian forces since they first arrived in Kursk in late autumn, according to a South Korean security source.
