North Korean factories are operating at full capacity to supply munitions to Russia, with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) already having dispatched containers capable of holding millions of artillery shells, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik announced. This development enables Russian President Vladimir Putin to continue his offensive in Ukraine as Kyiv's ammunition supplies dwindle.
According to South Korean estimates, Pyongyang has sent about 6,700 containers to Russia, a pace that has accelerated since Putin's summit with Kim Jong Un in September, Yonhap News Agency reported. The containers are believed to hold approximately 3 million 152 mm caliber shells.
In exchange, Russia is providing North Korea with food, raw materials, and components used in weapon manufacturing. These food supplies have helped Kim Jong Un stabilize prices for essential goods, the South Korean Defense Minister noted. He also emphasized that if the volume of weapon shipments increases, Russia intends to send Kim more military technologies, potentially enhancing Pyongyang's threat to its neighbors.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the supply of North Korean weapons to Russia, viewing it as evidence of the aggressor country's ammunition shortage:
«The Russians have used North Korean artillery, as well as missiles, and have struck Ukraine with them. There are reports and evidence. And what can be done about it? Nothing. The maximum help to Ukraine is needed,» Zelensky remarked.
According to the Ukrainian leader, North Korea has supplied about 1.5 million artillery shells. The exact number of missiles delivered is unknown, but there is evidence that such supplies occurred and were used by the occupiers in combat.
A photo showed fragments of North Korean missiles, identified as «Hwasong-12,» which were used to bombard Kharkiv on February 7, according to local police reports.
Earlier, a United States Department of State report stated that since September 2023, North Korea has delivered more than 10,000 containers of ammunition or materials for it to Russia. Of these, 7,400 containers were delivered by the "Eastern Stevedoring Company" through the Eastern Port, with some ammunition also being transported via the "Danube" military-naval missile base.
