North Korea halves shell shipments to Russia as its own stockpiles run low, Ukraine's intelligence says
Pyongyang has cut its artillery shell shipments to Russia by more than half in 2025 due to dwindling stockpiles, Vadym Skibitskyi, deputy head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR), told Reuters on Nov. 14.
North Korean artillery ammunition enabled Russia to maintain its firing rate in 2024, but this year, that support has declined markedly, with both the quantity and quality of munitions delivered to the Kremlin significantly reduced.
In 2023, North Korea supplied Russia with about 6.5 million artillery shells from its stockpiles, taking the opportunity to strengthen ties with Moscow following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Skibitskyi told Reuters.
Yet no shipments were recorded in September, though some were tracked in October, according to Ukraine's military intelligence.
Skibitskyi added that roughly half of the shells arriving from Pyongyang were so poorly maintained that they had to be sent to Russian factories for refirbishing.
North Korea has also begun mass-producing small, short-range combat drones equipped with FPV (first-person-view) cameras, as well as larger, medium-range drones, Skibitskyi said, without providing details on production volumes.
"They are learning, they are studying their experience (in this war) to expand production on their own territory," he added.
North Korea has become a key ally to Russia during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, deploying thousands of troops in combat and providing artillery and ballistic missiles
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement, which includes mutual support in the event of an attack, ahead of North Korea's troop deployment to Russia in June 2024.
Since then, Pyongyang has sent roughly 11,000–12,000 troops to Russia in late 2024 to help repel Ukraine's advance in Russia's Kursk Oblast.
A senior Western diplomat told the Kyiv Independent that North Korea may have sent even more, with Ukrainian officials estimating its contribution at 20,000–30,000 soldiers.
Moscow has repeatedly highlighted the role of North Korean troops in the war against Ukraine, while Kim has openly acknowledged his military's participation on Russia's side.
