North Korean artillery now dominates Russia’s ammunition provide in conflict towards Ukraine, investigation says

Nearly all of artillery shells utilized by Russian forces in Ukraine in 2024 have been manufactured in North Korea, in keeping with a joint investigation by Reuters and the Open Supply Middle (OPS), printed on April 15.

North Korea has turn into a key navy ally of Russia, supplying artillery shells, missiles, and reportedly even troopers in trade for oil merchandise and superior rocket expertise.

Inner technical experiences from Russia’s Protection Ministry, obtained by investigators, point out that in some Russian navy models, between 75% and 100% of artillery shells are North Korean-made. General, North Korea is offering roughly half of all artillery shells utilized by Russian troops, in keeping with Ukraine’s navy intelligence company (HUR), as cited by Reuters.

Arms shipments from North Korea to Russia started no later than September 2023, following a July go to to Pyongyang by then–Russian Protection Minister Sergei Shoigu, the investigation discovered.

Between September 2023 and March 17, 2025, Russian cargo ships Angara, Maria, Maya-1, and Girl R transported navy cargo 64 instances from the North Korean port of Rajin to the Russian ports of Danube and Vostochny.

In response to satellite tv for pc pictures, the ships carried at the least 15,809 containers in complete. Cargoes from North Korea additionally traveled by the Friendship Bridge railroad throughout the Tumanna River in Primorye.

Deliveries peaked in January 2024, with seven batches per 30 days, and cargo ships are at the moment transporting about three batches of shells per 30 days, in keeping with the investigation. The containers might carry between 4 and 6 million artillery shells alone.

The shells have been transported by rail to warehouses close to the Russian-Ukrainian border, primarily to Tikhoretsk in Russia's Krasnodar Krai.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin described North Korea as a "companion" and famous {that a} treaty on navy cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang, signed final yr, had come into power.

Putin additionally steered on March 27 that international locations "pleasant" to Russia, together with North Korea, might participate within the peace course of and negotiations to finish Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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