North Korea profits $20 billion from Russian war support
North Korea's involvement in Russia's war with Ukraine has reportedly brought it a profit of over $20 billion, according to American "Newsweek" on Wednesday, citing a report from the South Korean think tank, the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA).
According to the report, most of the economic benefits North Korea enjoys come from supplying ammunition to Russia. Additionally, Pyongyang has benefited from sending thousands of soldiers to fight against Ukraine. An estimated 4,000 military personnel have died on the Russian front out of the 11,000 North Koreans deployed there. They primarily operate in Russia's Kursk region.
KIDA notes that North Korea likely prefers receiving "material and technical assistance" from Moscow as compensation for its support.
The report's authors stress the urgent need to end the war in Ukraine and to curtail military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.
"Newsweek" noted that KIDA's findings are consistent with analyses from the Open Source Center (OSC) and Reuters, which estimate that North Korea shipped over 15,800 containers of ammunition to Russia between August 2023 and March 2025.
OSC and Reuters used satellite images and detailed 3D modeling for their calculations. It's estimated that 64 shipments by four Russian ships likely contained between 4.2 and 5.8 million rounds of ammunition from North Korea.
Challenges on the Ukrainian front and the impact of Western sanctions have forced the Kremlin to seek economic and military support from partners, including China, Iran, and North Korea.
How North Korean assistance reaches Russia
An investigation by the British think tank Open Source Center (OSC) and Reuters found that as of October 2023, North Korea had supplied Russia with at least 4 million rounds of artillery ammunition. The shipments also included mortar shells and ballistic missiles that have struck Ukrainian cities.
The ammunition is transported to Russia by sea. Container ships depart from the port of Nampo and arrive at Russian ports Danube and Vostochny in the Far East. Satellite monitoring by OSC indicates that over the past 20 months, approximately 16,000 containers carrying various types of ammunition have been unloaded at these ports. The cargo from the ships is then loaded onto trains, which transport the ammunition to warehouses near the front line.
As Reuters highlighted, Russia began gaining an advantage at the end of 2023 when the war shifted from dynamic to positional. Drones and artillery are used to support infantry during assaults. Ukraine quickly depleted its ammunition stockpiles, and its allies, including the United States, couldn't replenish them fast enough. At the same time, Russia, also facing artillery shortages, received support from North Korea.
Analyzing satellite images of container ships with ammunition, OSC experts used the size of the ships, containers, and their capacity to create 3D models for estimating the cargo. They suggest that at least 15,809 containers with North Korean ammunition have reached Russia. One ship can carry about 250 containers, each holding up to 330 ammunition units.
Reuters reported that the most shipments to Russia occurred in January 2024, when seven from North Korea were detected. Usually, there are three shipments per month.
Russian reports accessed by Reuters showed that Russian artillery units in some front sections used exclusively North Korean ammunition, specifically 152 mm and 122 mm caliber rounds.
Quoted by Reuters, Polish military analyst Konrad Muzyka suggested that Russia's ability to sustain attack levels at the end of 2023 was due to North Korean support. Furthermore, "it allowed the Russians to maintain an offensive posture and constant pressure on Ukrainian forces throughout most of 2024 into 2025," assessed Muzyka.
