Now the Russian army is almost entirely dependent on artillery shells supplied by North Korea.
From 50% to 100% of the shells used by Russian artillery against the units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been supplied by North Korea, according to a joint investigation by Reuters and the British research organization Open Source Centre.
Weapons deliveries from North Korea to Russia began no later than September 2023, preceded by a visit by the then Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to Pyongyang in July.
According to data from the Defence Intelligence 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. Reuters refers to this as "the most significant direct military aid to Russia."
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 North Korea to the Russian ports of Dunay and Vostochny 64 times. There were at least 15,809 containers, as confirmed by satellite images. Additionally, cargo from North Korea was sent via the "Friendship Bridge" railway between the two countries over the Tuman River in the Primorsk region.
The peak of transportations, seven shipments per month, occurred in January 2024; currently, cargo ships transport approximately three shipments of shells per month.
Even by the most conservative estimates of analysts, 4-6 million artillery shells alone could have been transported in the containers. In 2024, Russia independently produced only 2-2.3 million shells and plans to increase volumes to 3 million per year in the future, according to estimates by Western and Ukrainian officials provided by Reuters.
Shells are transported by rail to warehouses near the border between Russia and Ukraine, mainly in Tikhoretsk.
The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine believes that North Korea supplies 50% of all shells used by the Russian Armed Forces during the war. Internal technical reports from the Russian Ministry of Defence, accessed by journalists, state that in some units, 75% to 100% of artillery shells were produced in North Korea.
"Without the support of Chairman Kim Jong Un, President Vladimir Putin would practically be unable to wage war in Ukraine," claims the former UN coordinator for sanctions compliance against North Korea, Hugh Griffiths.