North Korea is now fulfilling 50% of Russia's ammunition requirements at the frontlines in its war against Ukraine, according to Kyiv's military intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov.
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Budanov revealed that Pyongyang has significantly escalated its support for Moscow, marking its most substantial involvement in a foreign conflict since the Korean War in the 1950s.
In addition to ammunition, Budanov stated that North Korea has begun large-scale deliveries of 170-mm self-propelled howitzers and 240-mm multiple rocket launch systems to Russian forces. He also disclosed that Pyongyang has already supplied Russia with ballistic missiles and plans to send an additional 148 in 2025.
Ukraine's foreign intelligence chief, Oleh Ivashchenko, highlighted Russia's own ramped-up military production, noting that Moscow aims to manufacture over 7 million artillery and mortar shells in 2025. "Russia... understands that in general it produces way more than all European countries," Ivashchenko said. He added that Russia is expected to produce around 3,000 long-range missiles this year.
The deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea follows the signing of their mutual defense treaty in June last year. Since the treaty's enactment, the number of missiles fired by Russia that are believed to have been manufactured in North Korea has surged.
According to an analysis by The Yomiuri Shimbun, Moscow launched 74 North Korean-made missiles between July and December 2024, a significant increase from the first half of the year.
The Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership mandates mutual military support in emergencies, and analysts suggest that the pact has accelerated direct cooperation between the two nations.
Data analyzed by The Yomiuri Shimbun, based on figures from the Center for Strategic and International Studies and Ukrainian military sources, shows a stark rise in the use of North Korean missiles. From January to June 2024, eight KN-23 missiles—or similar variants—were launched, but this number ballooned more than ninefold in the latter half of the year.
In August and September alone, Russian forces fired 24 North Korean-made missiles each month. The share of missiles believed to be sourced from North Korea increased from 0.7% in the first half of the year to 6.7% in the second half.
The KN-23, a short-range ballistic missile with a range of approximately 900 kilometers, poses significant interception challenges due to its low-altitude flight and erratic trajectory. The missile is thought to be modeled after Russia's Iskander missile system.
"Russia may have begun the full-scale use of North Korean missiles in the wake of the formalization of the bilateral treaty. Moscow will continue to strengthen its dependence on Pyongyang," said Shinji Hyodo, a senior researcher at Japan's Defense Ministry's National Institute for Defense Studies.
With the treaty coming into effect in December, Russia and North Korea have effectively established a military alliance. Reuters cited a Ukrainian military source indicating that North Korean missiles with enhanced capabilities began appearing on the battlefield in December, signaling a new phase in the conflict's dynamics.
