Zelensky: Russia to Receive One Million North Korean Artillery Shells
1 February, 2024 Illustrative photo of a Russian projectile. Photo from open sources North Korea will supply the Russians with a million artillery shells.
President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, stated this at a special meeting of the European Council. "They are already terrorizing our cities, in addition to the Iranian Shaheds that are destroying our civilian infrastructure. Intelligence confirms that Russia will receive a million artillery shells from Pyongyang," Zelensky said.
Meanwhile, according to the President, the implementation of the European plan to supply one million artillery shells to Ukraine is being delayed. Militarnyi reported on January 20, 2024, that by the end of 2024, the European Union will be able to produce more than 1.3 million artillery shells per year.
North Korean 152 mm artillery shell with NDT-3 propellant charge in service with the Russian army. October 2023.
Photo credits: Ukraine Weapons Tracker
Most of the manufactured ammunition will be sent to Ukraine as part of military aid to counter the Russian invasion.
Ammunition for Ukraine from the EU
In November 2023, Dmytro Kuleba, Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, stated that the European Union would not be able to fulfill its plan to supply a million artillery shells to Ukraine until March 2024, emphasizing that the EU was working on problem solving. Before that, Josep Borrell, the EU's chief diplomat, noted that the European Union hadn't abandoned the goal of supplying Ukraine with 1 million artillery ammunition by March 2024.
155mm shells manufactured by Forges de Tarbes, 2023. Photo credits: AFP/LIONEL BONAVENTURE
However, he mentioned that the promise might not be fulfilled in time.
Everything will depend on the speed of ammunition production at factories. He also said that European defense companies still export 40% of their shells to other countries, not to Ukraine. As previously reported, the EU's defense industry denies any fault in the failure of the plan to supply Ukraine with shells.
North Korean munitions in the Russian inventory
Militarnyi has reported several times that Russian troops are using North Korean shells.
For example, the arsenal of Russian gunners was supplemented with 120mm high-explosive mortar rounds made in North Korea. When firing this ammunition, the mortar crew must consider the range correction using standard artillery range tables. The documents indicate that when fired from a 2S12 mortar, the "Izdeliye 120-1" arrives closer than the Soviet "brother" OF-843B.
North Korea's munitions plants are operating at full capacity to meet Russia's needs.
Read more about Russian ammunition of North Korean origin in the article "Juche projectiles: North Korea tracks in Russo-Ukrainian war"
122mm North Korean artillery shells, which are supplied to Russia. October 2023. Photo credits: Ukraine Weapons Tracker
The main advantage of North Korean ammunition is that it can be used with Soviet-type artillery systems.
These shells are suitable for use with Soviet-era artillery systems.
John Kirby, Coordinator of the National Security Council at the White House, previously reported that North Korea supplied Russia with more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and ammunition for their further use in the war against Ukraine.