Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Pyongyang has emerged as a critical cog in the Kremlin’s war machine, pocketing more than $20 billion from arms and military assistance, according to South Korea’s state-backed Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA).
A joint investigation by Reuters and the UK-based Open Source Centre ( OSC), published 15 April, revealed that most of the artillery shells used by Russian forces in 2024 were North Korean-made. Some Russian units, internal defence ministry documents show, were firing shells of exclusively North Korean origin—between 75% to 100% of their total firepower.
“North Korea’s contribution has been strategically vital,” said Hugh Griffiths, former coordinator of the UN panel of experts on North Korean sanctions. “Without Chairman Kim Jong Un’s support, President Vladimir Putin wouldn’t really be able to prosecute his war in Ukraine.”
Shells, soldiers, and a pipeline of war
The arms trade began in earnest shortly after then–Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Pyongyang in July 2023. By September, a stream of cargo ships—Angara, Maria, Maya-1, and Lady R—was ferrying munitions from Rajin port in North Korea to Russian ports Dunai and Vostochny.
Satellite imagery shows 64 shipments between September 2023 and March 2025, moving at least 15,809 containers—likely carrying between 4.2 million and 5.8 million shells. Rail lines like the Cold War-era “Friendship Bridge” then carried these munitions westward, directly to Russian stockpiles near the Ukrainian border. The shell deliveries peaked in January 2024 with seven shipments that month.
And it wasn’t just hardware.
By late autumn 2024, thousands of North Korean soldiers had joined Russian units in the western Kursk region, battling to repel Ukrainian incursions. Lacking equipment and drone warfare training, they took heavy losses—around 4,000 casualties out of 11,000 deployed, according to South Korean intelligence. Another 3,000 were sent as reinforcements by February.
“They adapted to modern combat conditions,” said Oleh Shyriaiev, commander of Ukraine’s 225th Separate Assault Regiment.
Strategic fallout beyond the battlefield
The partnership has drawn concern not just for its scale but its implications. The OSC noted:
“The North Korean munitions pipeline presents a significant strategic challenge. By enabling Russia to maintain its offensive momentum, it undermines the effectiveness of Western military assistance to Ukraine.”
KIDA’s analysts went further, “Russia–North Korea military cooperation raises the chances of Russia stepping in on the Korean peninsula if there's an emergency.”
The risk isn’t just in Ukraine—it stretches to East Asia.
The flow of arms, troops, and technology has given Russia a tangible advantage in what has become a grinding war of attrition. Ukrainian officials now estimate North Korea provides nearly half of all artillery shells used by Russia. Some say the figure climbs to 70% in certain sectors.
Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, also confirmed that Pyongyang supplied 120 long-range self-propelled artillery systems and 120 multiple-launch rocket systems starting in late 2024—some of which were filmed by Ukrainian drones operating in Kursk.
From friendship bridge to battlefield edge
The military camaraderie between Moscow and Pyongyang has historical roots.
Kim Il Sung, North Korea’s founding leader, once served in the Soviet Red Army. The Soviet Union backed him during the Korean War, and the two nations maintained strong ties through the Cold War. Their shared border along the Tumen River, and the 1959-commissioned “Friendship Bridge,” offered both symbolism and infrastructure.
Those ties frayed after the Soviet collapse, but the Ukraine war has reignited the alliance.
Russia, battered by Western sanctions and bleeding soldiers and supplies, turned to partners like China, Iran—and crucially, North Korea. With Western support for Ukraine increasingly patchy, Pyongyang's willingness to step in has given Russia breathing room and battlefield leverage.
The United States has described the arms as “enabling the war to continue.” A Czech-led initiative to supply Ukraine with 1.6 million artillery shells hasn’t kept pace with Russian firepower.
A war of attrition, powered by isolation
By 2023, both sides were estimated to be firing 10,000 artillery rounds a day. It became clear: whoever had more shells, won more ground.
Ukraine, dependent on Western stockpiles, faced constraints. Russia, meanwhile, replenished its arsenal from North Korea and dug in—quite literally—with trenches, minefields and reinforced defences.
As the war dragged on, Trump’s administration began to scale back its support for Kyiv, even as peace talks—brokered by Washington—stumbled over the future of occupied territories and Ukraine’s security. Russia seized the moment. With North Korean help, it reclaimed almost all territory lost in Kursk, leaving Ukraine with just a sliver of control.
A chilling radio intercept from December 1, shared by Ukrainian military intelligence, captured the retreat of North Korean troops in Kursk—highlighting the human toll of Pyongyang’s involvement.
While peace negotiations remain stuck, North Korean cargo keeps moving.
The OSC says containers are still crossing from Rajin at a rate of about three shipments a month. The alliance appears to be deepening. And the longer the war drags on, the more Pyongyang stands to gain—militarily, economically, and diplomatically.
For now, North Korea’s shadow looms large over a war it has helped fuel from the sidelines. Shell by shell, soldier by soldier, it has made itself indispensable to Putin’s strategy—and profited handsomely in the process.
North Korea’s embassy in London, its delegations at the UN in Geneva and New York, and Russia’s Defence Ministry all declined to comment on the revelations.
But the message from the battlefield is already loud and clear.
A joint investigation by Reuters and the UK-based Open Source Centre ( OSC), published 15 April, revealed that most of the artillery shells used by Russian forces in 2024 were North Korean-made. Some Russian units, internal defence ministry documents show, were firing shells of exclusively North Korean origin—between 75% to 100% of their total firepower.
“North Korea’s contribution has been strategically vital,” said Hugh Griffiths, former coordinator of the UN panel of experts on North Korean sanctions. “Without Chairman Kim Jong Un’s support, President Vladimir Putin wouldn’t really be able to prosecute his war in Ukraine.”
Shells, soldiers, and a pipeline of war
The arms trade began in earnest shortly after then–Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Pyongyang in July 2023. By September, a stream of cargo ships—Angara, Maria, Maya-1, and Lady R—was ferrying munitions from Rajin port in North Korea to Russian ports Dunai and Vostochny.
Satellite imagery shows 64 shipments between September 2023 and March 2025, moving at least 15,809 containers—likely carrying between 4.2 million and 5.8 million shells. Rail lines like the Cold War-era “Friendship Bridge” then carried these munitions westward, directly to Russian stockpiles near the Ukrainian border. The shell deliveries peaked in January 2024 with seven shipments that month.
And it wasn’t just hardware.
By late autumn 2024, thousands of North Korean soldiers had joined Russian units in the western Kursk region, battling to repel Ukrainian incursions. Lacking equipment and drone warfare training, they took heavy losses—around 4,000 casualties out of 11,000 deployed, according to South Korean intelligence. Another 3,000 were sent as reinforcements by February.
“They adapted to modern combat conditions,” said Oleh Shyriaiev, commander of Ukraine’s 225th Separate Assault Regiment.
Strategic fallout beyond the battlefield
The partnership has drawn concern not just for its scale but its implications. The OSC noted:
“The North Korean munitions pipeline presents a significant strategic challenge. By enabling Russia to maintain its offensive momentum, it undermines the effectiveness of Western military assistance to Ukraine.”
KIDA’s analysts went further, “Russia–North Korea military cooperation raises the chances of Russia stepping in on the Korean peninsula if there's an emergency.”
The risk isn’t just in Ukraine—it stretches to East Asia.
The flow of arms, troops, and technology has given Russia a tangible advantage in what has become a grinding war of attrition. Ukrainian officials now estimate North Korea provides nearly half of all artillery shells used by Russia. Some say the figure climbs to 70% in certain sectors.
Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, also confirmed that Pyongyang supplied 120 long-range self-propelled artillery systems and 120 multiple-launch rocket systems starting in late 2024—some of which were filmed by Ukrainian drones operating in Kursk.
From friendship bridge to battlefield edge
The military camaraderie between Moscow and Pyongyang has historical roots.
Kim Il Sung, North Korea’s founding leader, once served in the Soviet Red Army. The Soviet Union backed him during the Korean War, and the two nations maintained strong ties through the Cold War. Their shared border along the Tumen River, and the 1959-commissioned “Friendship Bridge,” offered both symbolism and infrastructure.
Those ties frayed after the Soviet collapse, but the Ukraine war has reignited the alliance.
Russia, battered by Western sanctions and bleeding soldiers and supplies, turned to partners like China, Iran—and crucially, North Korea. With Western support for Ukraine increasingly patchy, Pyongyang's willingness to step in has given Russia breathing room and battlefield leverage.
The United States has described the arms as “enabling the war to continue.” A Czech-led initiative to supply Ukraine with 1.6 million artillery shells hasn’t kept pace with Russian firepower.
A war of attrition, powered by isolation
By 2023, both sides were estimated to be firing 10,000 artillery rounds a day. It became clear: whoever had more shells, won more ground.
Ukraine, dependent on Western stockpiles, faced constraints. Russia, meanwhile, replenished its arsenal from North Korea and dug in—quite literally—with trenches, minefields and reinforced defences.
As the war dragged on, Trump’s administration began to scale back its support for Kyiv, even as peace talks—brokered by Washington—stumbled over the future of occupied territories and Ukraine’s security. Russia seized the moment. With North Korean help, it reclaimed almost all territory lost in Kursk, leaving Ukraine with just a sliver of control.
A chilling radio intercept from December 1, shared by Ukrainian military intelligence, captured the retreat of North Korean troops in Kursk—highlighting the human toll of Pyongyang’s involvement.
While peace negotiations remain stuck, North Korean cargo keeps moving.
The OSC says containers are still crossing from Rajin at a rate of about three shipments a month. The alliance appears to be deepening. And the longer the war drags on, the more Pyongyang stands to gain—militarily, economically, and diplomatically.
For now, North Korea’s shadow looms large over a war it has helped fuel from the sidelines. Shell by shell, soldier by soldier, it has made itself indispensable to Putin’s strategy—and profited handsomely in the process.
North Korea’s embassy in London, its delegations at the UN in Geneva and New York, and Russia’s Defence Ministry all declined to comment on the revelations.
But the message from the battlefield is already loud and clear.
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