North Korea Sent Russia Over 4 Million Shells, Fueling Putin’s War in Ukraine

Over the past 20 months, North Korea has supplied Russia with at least 4 million artillery shells, which have been actively used on the front lines in Ukraine. These deliveries have been large-scale and systematic — transported both by sea and rail — significantly boosting Russia’s combat capabilities, according to newswire services.

During this period, North Korea shipped over 15,800 containers filled with ammunition to Russia. Analysts at OSC tracked 64 shipments from the North Korean port of Rajin between September 2023 and March 2025, carried out by four Russian-flagged container ships — Angara, Maria, Maia-1, and Lady R, the reports said.

According to Reuters, these shipments were delivered to the Russian ports of Vostochny and Dunay, from where nearly 16,000 containers, including artillery rounds, were transported by rail to storage sites near the Ukrainian border — underscoring the scale and consistency of Pyongyang’s support for Moscow in its war against Ukraine.

While the exact contents of each container cannot be verified, OSC experts estimated that between 4 to 6 million artillery shells may have been delivered, based on Ukrainian data regarding packaging and cargo structure.

According to reports, North Korea has become one of the primary sources of ammunition for the Russian military. The scale and regularity of these transfers signal a new level of military and political cooperation between the two heavily sanctioned nations.

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Reuters also found that over the past year, a significant share of the ammunition used by some Russian units came from North Korea. Daily artillery reports analyzed by the agency showed that on certain days, up to 100% of shells used were of North Korean origin, while on others the figure reached about 75%.

For instance, in the summer of 2024, a Russian unit operating on the southeastern Zaporizhzhia front reported that half of its D-20 howitzer shells were 152mm North Korean-made rounds, and all of its 122mm rockets were also sourced from Pyongyang.

According to Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR), since mid-2023, North Korea has transferred over 4 million artillery shells to Russia — mainly 122mm and 152mm calibers, which form the backbone of Russia’s artillery forces.

Even when factoring in Russia’s own production — estimated by Ukrainian and Western officials at 2 to 2.3 million shells in 2024 — North Korean supplies represent a major reinforcement of its ammunition stockpiles.

Analysts warn that if this “weapons pipeline” goes unchecked, it could further tilt the battlefield in Russia’s favor and pose threats not only to Ukraine but also to the security of Europe and East Asia.

Beyond ammunition, Pyongyang is reportedly sending its soldiers to support Russia. According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), North Korea is using the war in Ukraine as a testing ground to assess and refine its military capabilities in real combat conditions.