North Korea has provided Russia with more than 12 million rounds of 152mm artillery shells to support Moscow’s war against Ukraine, South Korean military intelligence officials said.
According to a report from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) under South Korea’s defense ministry, Pyongyang has so far sent around 28,000 containers carrying weapons and ammunition to Russia. The report, submitted to a lawmaker from the main opposition party, highlights the scale of North Korea’s backing for Moscow’s operations.
“If calculated with 152mm single shells, the number of supplied shells is presumed to have reached more than 12 million,” the agency said.
Since October of last year, North Korea has reportedly supplied conventional weapons and deployed approximately 13,000 troops to Russia, Seoul officials noted.
In late June, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said North Korea is likely to send additional personnel in July or August to bolster Russia’s war efforts. Russian media outlets have reported that Pyongyang plans to dispatch 5,000 military construction workers and 1,000 sappers to the Kursk region to support reconstruction projects.
U.S. officials have repeatedly warned that such transfers violate multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions that prohibit Pyongyang from exporting weapons.
North Korea and Russia have strengthened ties in recent months, with their leaders exchanging high-level visits and pledges of military and economic collaboration. Analysts say Pyongyang’s arms supplies help Moscow sustain its artillery-intensive campaign in Ukraine, where Russian forces have faced pressure from Ukrainian drone and counter-battery strikes.
Seoul’s defense ministry said it continues to monitor the situation closely in coordination with allied intelligence services.