North Korea has become a reliable source of ammunition to the russian invasion forces in Ukraine: as of today, half of the artillery rounds russians use on the battlefield — about 3,000,000 a year — are supplied by North Korea, The Times reports citing sources in Western intelligence.
The authors don't specify the exact type of ammunition included in this figure but point to a general conclusion: the Kremlin actually relies heavily on critical ammunition provisions from its allies. Three million shells can sustain a continuous fire rate of an additional 8,000 shells per day, which has been an important factor in russia's tactics of advancing through a relentless bombardment of the area prior to the assault.
Read more: Dissatisfied With Quality and Quantity of North Korean Artillery Shells, russians Complain
"Although many of the shells are believed to be faulty, the sheer quantity has allowed russia to make steady gains, most recently capturing the eastern Ukrainian city of Vuhledar," The Times notes in regard to the quality of ammunition. Defense Express adds, earlier findings suggested, for example, unequal amounts and inconsistency of powder in the propellant charges that resulted in systematic dispersion in trajectories of fired rounds.
In addition, russian military bloggers blamed defective North Korean shells for being a major factor in why the barrels of their artillery guns burst. Apparently, russia chose to outweigh these drawbacks by sheer numbers. Ukraine with its partners from Europe and overseas, meanwhile, is still struggling to ramp up the production of artillery rounds, thus finding itself at a quantitative disadvantage.
Moreover, the real number of shells russia is getting may be way higher than 3 million yearly. In February 2024, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence reported on russia's plans to produce 2.7 million artillery rounds using its own industrial capacity by the end of the year, plus 1.5 shells had been delivered from North Korea. In just a few months, by May, Western media estimated that 3 million Korean shells had already been brought to russia.
An important question, though, is whether Pyongyang will be able to maintain a stable supply rate: in many instances where Korean ammunition was spotted in the hands of the russian military, the projectiles turned out to be produced in the 20th century.
Earlier, Defense Express analyzed the artillery ammunition industry in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, highlighting the key factories, sources of raw materials, plans and deadlines.
Read more: Details on North Korean Ammo Production for russia: Key Factories, Sources of Raw Materials, Schedules
