Russian army is almost entirely dependent on shells from North Korea – Reuters and OSC investigation
Between 50% and 100% of the shells fired by Russian artillery at the Ukrainian Armed Forces were supplied by North Korea.
According to Censor.NET, citing Radio Liberty, this is stated in a joint investigation by Reuters and the British research organisation Open Source Centre (OSC).
Arms supplies from the DPRK to Russia
Weapons deliveries from North Korea to Russia began no later than September 2023, following a July visit to Pyongyang by then–Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, the shipment package included 120 multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), 120 self-propelled artillery units, 145 ballistic missiles, and artillery shells of 122 mm and 152 mm calibers.
Reuters describes this as "the largest direct military assistance to Russia."
From September 2023 to March 17, 2025, Russian cargo vessels Angara, Maria, Maya-1, and Lady R transported military cargo from the North Korean port of Rason to the Russian ports of Dunay and Vostochny a total of 64 times. Satellite imagery indicates that these shipments involved at least 15,809 containers. Military cargo was also transported by rail via the "Friendship Bridge" over the Tumen River in the Primorsky region.
The peak of these deliveries occurred in January 2024, with seven shipments that month. Currently, the vessels are reportedly transporting around three shipments of shells per month.
According to conservative estimates by analysts, between four and six million artillery shells alone may have been transported in these containers.
Western and Ukrainian officials cited by Reuters estimate that in 2024, Russia produced between 2 and 2.3 million artillery shells domestically, with plans to increase annual output to three million.
The shells are transported by rail to storage sites near the Ukrainian border, primarily to Tikhoretsk in Russia’s Krasnodar region.
Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence (DIU) believes that North Korea supplies up to 50% of all shells used by Russian forces in the war. Internal technical reports from the Russian Ministry of Defense, accessed by journalists, indicate that between 75% and 100% of artillery shells used in some Russian army units were manufactured in North Korea.
According to a Ukrainian military source cited by Reuters, test-firing of North Korean shells is carried out at the Luzhsky training ground in Russia’s Leningrad region. Firing tables for Russian artillery published by the agency also point to poor quality of the shells.
When did stockpiles run out in Russia and Ukraine?
In 2023, artillery shell stockpiles on both sides of the front were depleted, and Ukraine was unable to secure timely support from its Western allies. The European Union’s defense industry simply could not produce shells in the required volumes.
Military analyst Konrad Muzyka believes that since late 2023, the Russian Armed Forces have been able to sustain the intensity of their shelling only thanks to North Korea.
In April 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that for every shell fired by Ukraine’s Armed Forces, Russia fires ten.
Use of North Korean ballistic missiles
Since late 2023, Russia has also been striking Ukrainian cities with North Korean KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles.
Initially, these missiles lacked accuracy.
However, the latest versions produced by North Korea reportedly strike targets with a margin of error of 50 to 100 meters, according to a Ukrainian military source cited by Reuters.
