Some Russian units rely on North Korean artillery shells for half or more of their daily use. This is quite a heavy reliance on North Korean munitions—and underscores the Kremlin’s dependence on foreign support to continue its “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Russia relies heavily on North Korea for its most important weapon in the Ukraine conflict: artillery.
Russian military doctrine has traditionally viewed artillery as the “god” of the battlefield. Despite Russia’s own impressive production capabilities—with plans to manufacture approximately three million artillery shells in 2025 alone—the Kremlin has additionally sought millions of rounds from Pyongyang. This support allows them to sustain their operations in Ukraine.
Artillery Shells: A Gift from North Korea
A collaborative investigation conducted by Reuters and the Open Source Center revealed that since September 2023, Russia has obtained a minimum of 16,000 shipping containers filled with millions of artillery rounds from North Korea. Ships flying under the Russian flag sail to North Korea and come back laden with ammunition. Subsequently, these containers are transferred onto railcars, transporting the artillery shells nearer to combat zones.
The Ukrainians believe that Russia has obtained more than three million artillery shells from North Korea up until now. By contrast, Ukraine has received over
4.5 million artillery rounds
Of various sizes from the United States; other nations have also dispatched extra ammunition to Kyiv.
“Reportedly, Russia has become highly reliant on North Korean artillery ammunition as North Korea gains insights from Russia’s conflict with Ukraine,” according to the Institute for the Study of War.
assessed
In their most recent operational assessment of the Ukraine conflict.
Certain Russian units depend significantly on North Korean artillery shells for at least half of their daily usage. This substantial dependency highlights Moscow’s reliance on external supplies to sustain its “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Since the early days of the conflict,
artillery
Has proven to be the deadliest weapons system on the battlefield by far. Various estimates suggest that casualties on both sides resulted from opposing forces’ artillery fire.
exceed 80 percent
. Given that the overall fatalities from the conflict surpass
one million
One would thus conclude that over 800,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers have been casualties of artillery fire.
Russia Requires North Korea’s Assistance in Ukraine
However, there is an advantage for North Korea as well. After all, this constitutes a mutual arrangement. Besides providing artillery shells and armored vehicles, Pyongyang has dispatched soldiers to assist Russia in combat.
Based on the assessments from South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence agencies,
the North Korean military
has dispatched roughly 15,000 personnel to Russia—a number including an initial deployment of 11,000 along with another 4,000 as backup forces. These soldiers have joined efforts with Russian units within the Kursk Oblast region of Russia, where the Ukrainian armed forces have retained control over territory since August. Due to their lack of readiness for modern warfare conditions, this first group from North Korea suffered significant casualties after only several weeks of engagement. More than 4,000 North Korean fighters lost their lives or were injured. Such substantial losses compelled the Russian command structure to withdraw these troops.
the North Korean contingent
taken off the line to make sure it wasn’t entirely obliterated during the combat.
But
the North Koreans
They are also learning significant lessons from the combat and modifying their strategies, methods, and protocols accordingly. It’s highly likely that the North Korean leaders used the Russia-Ukraine War as an opportunity to ready their armed forces for potential conflicts nearer to their own territory.
About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou
Stavros Atlamazoglou
is an experienced defense journalist with expertise in
special operations
As a Hellenic Army veteran (having completed national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and at Army Headquarters), he earned his Bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and went on to obtain a Master’s from the university’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His writings have appeared in various publications.
Business Insider
,
Sandboxx
, and
SOFREP
.
Image: Shutterstock / Dmitry Larin.
