Kyiv: Russian forces bolster artillery fire capabilities with North Korean munitions, averaging over 8,200 rounds daily
Vadim Skibitsky, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Ministry of Defence, stated that Russian forces are lacking in domestically produced munitions, leading Moscow to purchase artillery shells from other countries, including North Korea. In this regard, experts at Defence Express assessed the capabilities of the Russian artillery and calculated their rate of fire, including supplies from North Korea.
The report notes that after the initial weapon deliveries from North Korea, it remains unknown if there are further agreements between Moscow and Pyongyang regarding the provision of munitions for Russian artillery systems. However, taking into account data from Ukraine's intelligence service, the Russian Armed Forces have received about one million North Korean projectiles of various calibers, including the scarce 152mm rounds.
"The most active deliveries of munitions from North Korean territory occurred during September, October, and November," said Skibitsky.
If we add the number of Russian-made munitions, which amounts to about 2 million 122mm and 152mm rounds annually, the Russian forces have approximately 250,000 rounds of the aforementioned calibers at their disposal per month. Consequently, Russian artillerymen may fire an average of 8,220 rounds per day.
"These are, of course, purely illustrative calculations because they don't consider, for example, munitions from other sources, particularly from Iran," stressed the analysts.
Meanwhile, experts claim that, thanks to North Korean munitions, Russians managed to double their artillery firing rates compared to the summer of 2023. At the same time, in these estimates, one must consider that the Korean-made rounds are of lower quality, which undoubtedly adversely affects the Russian potential.
Earlier, Vadim Skibitsky, said that the Kremlin remains hopeful it will soon receive the desired munitions from China. According to him, the Russians are still trying to find allies willing to provide the necessary weaponry for the war in Ukraine.