North Korea's support for Russia: Soviet weapons en route to Ukraine

North Korea's support for Russia's occupation of Eastern Ukraine may involve Soviet D-30 howitzers, according to a picture posted on X. These weapons, made in the former USSR, have been observed in transit on open railway platforms.

There's a growing body of evidence pointing towards a military collaboration between Russia and North Korea. Kim Jong Un's regime has been harvesting useful equipment from its warehouses to offer to the Russian Federation, perhaps in exchange for fighter jets and strategic missile weaponry. British experts highlighted that weapon and ammunition transport has been happening systematically for some time. Now, a report from Julian Röpke of Bild suggests that old artillery systems, desired by the Russians for use in Ukraine, are also being shipped in this manner.

The 122mm D-30 howitzer is a piece of Soviet equipment commissioned by the Soviet army in 1960. An incredibly robust towed howitzer mounted on a sturdy tripod, it is capable of a full 360-degree rotation. The weapon boasts a range of 9.57 miles with regular ammunition and 13.05 miles with rocket ammunition.

North Korea produces a significant quantity of 122mm caliber shells that are compatible with these aged howitzers and has also shipped these to Russia. Despite their age, over 60 countries still utilize D-30s in their armed forces, mostly modernized versions labeled D-30-A. However, experts believe the models sent by North Korea are likely the unmodernized, original artillery pieces received by the DPRK in the 60s.

Previous analyses suggest that North Korea could potentially supply Russia with up to 350,000 artillery shells, which can be used in Russia’s artillery systems and those supplied by Kim Jong Un's regime. In comparison, western partners have only managed to deliver 300,000 pieces of the pledged million pieces of ammunition to Ukraine.

It's presumed that the pact between Putin and Kim was confirmed during a meeting in September when the North Korean leader visited Russia. The details of the Korea-Russia deal were likely finalized when Sergey Lavrov, head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, and Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, visited Pyongyang later.