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By Shane Croucher
Senior Editor
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North Korea sent more than 15,800 containers of munitions to Russia in an 18-month period as it became a critical supplier for Moscow's war on Ukraine, according to a new analysis.
The Open Source Centre (OSC) and Reuters used satellite images to identify at least 64 shipments from North Korea to Russia between August 2023 and March 2025. Its estimates also rely on detailed three-dimensional images of vessels and their cargo.
The shipments likely carried between 4.2 million and 5.8 million individual munitions, the report's authors said. Four Russian-flagged cargo vessels were involved in transporting the North Korean munitions: the Angara, Lady R, Maria, and Maia-1.
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Why it Matters
Continued North Korean support for Russia's war offers a crucial underpinning of Moscow's position on the battlefield as the Trump administration seeks to broker peace. It presents a challenge to Ukraine's allies in Europe, who are seeking to strengthen Kyiv's position as much as possible in negotiations and worsen the outcome for Russia.
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North Korean Support in Russia's War
North Korea has also sent thousands of troops to fight against Ukraine, largely to help Moscow repel an incursion by Kyiv's forces in the Kursk region of Russia.
Moscow has had to seek external support for its war and ailing economy as a resilient Ukraine backed by the military might of the U.S. has been putting up a strong defense.
Moscow has largely relied on North Korea and Iran for additional military hardware, and China for big purchases of oil and other resources to keep its economy afloat following punitive Western sanctions.
At the end of March, South Korea's military said it had assessed that North Korea had sent around 3,000 additional troops to Russia in January and February, following large losses.
The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea has also been sending more missiles, artillery equipment and ammunition to help Russia and that Pyongyang could increase its supplies of weapons further depending on the war situation.
The military equipment North Korea has sent to Russia includes considerable numbers of short-range ballistic missiles, self-propelled howitzers and around 220 multiple rocket launchers.
North Korea has sent approximately 11,000 military personnel to fight in the war against Ukraine in its first involvement in a large-scale conflict since the 1950-53 Korean War. It is estimated that around 4,000 of them have been killed or wounded.
South Korea's National Intelligence Service previously attributed the high North Korean casualty figures to the troops' likely struggles in adapting to drone attacks and other elements of modern warfare.
North Korean troops are further disadvantaged by the crude tactics of their Russian commanders, who have sent them into assault campaigns without providing rear-fire support, the spy agency told lawmakers in January.
What People Are Saying
The OSC report said: "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.
"If left unaddressed, this flow of arms could tilt the battlefield further in Moscow's favour and accelerate broader security risks across both Europe and East Asia."
What's Next
The negotiations to bring about peace continue, but progress is slow and the issues are complex, with major disagreements over recognition of territory and the future of Ukrainian security.
The White House secured two temporary truces, one halting attacks on energy infrastructure—though Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of violations—and one in the Black Sea.
A full ceasefire remains elusive, and both sides continue to grind it out on the battlefield. Shipments such as those by North Korea enable the fighting to continue, and will likely do so for some time, given the fraying U.S.-Ukraine relationship, and Russia's own red lines.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
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