Missiles, troops, and millions of rounds: How deep is North Korea into Russia's war in Ukraine?

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30-05-2025

North Korea has become one of Russia's most crucial wartime allies, supplying missiles, troops and millions of artillery rounds to support its war in Ukraine. A new multilateral report exposes the full scale of Pyongyang's military support to Moscow, and how this arms pipeline is shaping the battlefield read more
Over the past two years, North Korea has significantly deepened its military cooperation with Russia, supplying a wide array of troops, munitions, missiles and equipment to bolster Moscow's ongoing war against Ukraine.
A detailed and alarming report released by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) — a coalition of eleven UN member states — lays bare the scope and mechanics of these transfers, arguing that they constitute a direct violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions.
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The MSMT, formed in response to the disbandment of a previous UN panel overseeing sanctions on Pyongyang, has published what is is being touted as the most comprehensive analysis yet of the North Korea–Russia arms collaboration.
Image Source: Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) report via an MSMT participating state
Drawing on open-source intelligence and field investigations by organisations like the Open Source Centre (OSC) and Conflict Armament Research (CAR), the report, accessed by Firstpost outlines a systematic military supply chain funnelling support from Pyongyang to Moscow.
From North Korea with love… and missiles
According to MSMT participating states in the report, North Korea delivered at least 100 ballistic missiles to Russia between January and December 2024. These weapons were later used to attack urban centres and critical civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, including cities like Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia.
Image Source: Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) report via an MSMT participating state
The report noted, 'These forms of unlawful cooperation between (North Korea) and Russia contributed to Moscow's ability to increase its missile attacks against Ukrainian cities including targeted strikes against critical civilian infrastructure.'
The arsenal sent from North Korea included an assortment of 82mm, 122mm, 130mm, 152mm and 170mm munitions, designed for compatibility with a variety of artillery systems in Russia's inventory such as the D-20 and D-30 howitzers, the M-30 and M-46 guns, and the D-74 cannon.
Image Source: Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) report via an MSMT participating state
The report specified that over 20,000 containers of such ammunition and related materiel were transferred since September 2023.
One MSMT state estimated that in 2024 alone, up to 9 million rounds of artillery and multiple rocket launcher ammunition were delivered aboard Russian-flagged cargo vessels.
Between August 2023 and March 2025, open-source estimates place that figure at 4.2 to 5.8 million rounds of 122mm and 152mm munitions, showing the sustained scale of deliveries.
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Image Source: Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) report via Conflict Armament Research (CAR)
In terms of heavy equipment, North Korea shipped three brigade sets of artillery systems, which included 170mm long-range self-propelled guns, 240mm multiple rocket launchers, reload vehicles, and over 200 military vehicles.
Among the more advanced systems sent were Bulsae-4 anti-tank missiles and RPG-type anti-tank rockets. Following the recovery of these weapons from battlefields in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence confirmed their North Korean origin.
Image Source: Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) report via an MSMT participating state
One particularly significant incident occurred in January 2024, when UN experts traced a missile strike on Kharkiv back to a North Korean Hwasong-11 series ballistic missile, confirming a violation of the longstanding UN arms embargo on North Korea.
How North Korean troops are fighting for Russia against Ukraine
According to the MSMT, more than 11,000 North Korean soldiers were deployed to eastern Russia in late 2024. These troops were subsequently relocated to the Kursk Oblast, where they were involved in direct combat operations alongside Russian forces.
These North Korean units were trained in key military tactics by Russian forces, including drone warfare, artillery operations and trench-clearing techniques — skills critical to contemporary battlefield conditions.
Image Source: Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) report via an MSMT participating state
Between January and March 2025, another 3,000 soldiers were sent from North Korea to Russia.
Both Russia and North Korea acknowledged the presence of these troops for the first time in April 2025.
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Image Source: Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) report via an MSMT participating state
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that North Korean soldiers had participated in operations aimed at reclaiming Russian territory following a Ukrainian advance into the Kursk region. North Korean officials also confirmed their involvement.
Though these troops had been in Russia since at least November 2024, Ukrainian intelligence reported that many were pulled from the frontlines in January 2025 after experiencing significant casualties.
The logistics behind the North Korea-Russia arms trade
Transportation of arms and personnel has been carried out through a combination of maritime, rail and air routes. Initially, arms transfers were conducted primarily by rail.
However, to meet growing demand, Russia transitioned to using maritime shipping as the dominant mode of transport. A total of 49 shipments of artillery and rocket ammunition were recorded from January to mid-December 2024.
Image Source: Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) report via an MSMT participating state
Sensitive items such as missiles, missile launch vehicles (TELs) and electronic warfare systems were primarily transported via Russian military cargo aircraft.
Aircraft identified in these transfers include the Ilyushin Il-76MD and Antonov AN-124, operated by the Russian Command of Military Transport Aviation (VTA) and Joint Stock Company the 224th Flight Unit State Airlines.
Image Source: Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) report via an MSMT participating state
In a strategic technological exchange, Russia is reported to have provided North Korea with air defence systems, including short-range weapons, advanced jamming equipment and at least one Pantsir-class combat vehicle.
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The Pantsir system significantly enhances North Korea's defence capabilities by providing protection against a variety of aerial threats.
Russia has also shared operational data on missile performance, which has helped North Korea fine-tune the guidance systems of its ballistic missiles.
Image Source: Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) report via an MSMT participating state
The MSMT report highlights that such information exchange enables Pyongyang to 'fund its military programmes and further develop its ballistic missiles programmes, which are themselves prohibited under multiple (UN Security Council resolutions), and gain first-hand experience in modern warfare.'
Kim's 'gifts' to Putin
North Korea's support for Russia hasn't been limited to military hardware and troops. In 2024, Pyongyang requested 8,000 labour visas for its workers, intending to send them to Russia for construction and forestry work.
Between December 2024 and February 2025, 481 North Korean labourers were reportedly dispatched — 198 for the construction sector and 283 for textile jobs.
Further plans include the deployment of IT professionals and medical staff from North Korea to Russia, marking a broader economic integration effort between the two nations despite international sanctions.
The report also outlines how Russia and North Korea have engaged in financial transactions designed to bypass UN restrictions. The two countries have been operating ruble-denominated accounts through sanctioned North Korean banks — the Foreign Trade Bank (FTB) and the Korea Kwangson Banking Corporation (KKBC) — via MRB Bank in the South Ossetia region of Georgia.
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This financial collaboration violates Paragraph 33 of UN Security Council Resolution 2270 (2016), which bans financial institutions from maintaining relationships with North Korean banks unless approved by the Committee.
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) also mandates such measures under its recommendations aimed at curbing proliferation financing.
What MSMT nations are saying
In response to the findings, the MSMT's member nations — Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States — issued a joint statement calling on North Korea to 'engage in meaningful diplomacy.'
Meanwhile, concerns persist in the West about the growing depth of the Moscow-Pyongyang alliance. There are increasing fears that Russia may soon provide space and satellite technology to North Korea in return for sustained military support.
Despite the denials from both Russia and North Korea regarding weapons transfers, their public commitment under a new bilateral defence pact to provide immediate military assistance in the event of an attack put their renewed level of trust and interdependence in the spotlight.
While many of the materials and troops detailed in the MSMT report have already seen action in Ukraine, the report makes clear that this military cooperation is ongoing and likely to continue.
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