6 million shells from Pyongyan: How the DPRK supports Russian aggression in Ukraine
Agency journalists, together with Analytics of the British Open Source Centre, have tracked 64 major marine marine supplies from the DPRK to Russia for the last 20 months. During this time, according to their estimates, 4 to 6 million artillery shells (122 mm and 152 mm) were transported, which is half the ammunition required by the Russian Federation at the front.
According to military expert Pavel Nazhny, despite the size of industrial production, Russia is not yet capable of establishing large -scale production of shells. Today, the peak of all Russian production of artillery shells can reach up to 2 million units a year. Of these, new production-approximately 1. 2-1. 5 million to 500 thousand shells is the so-called recovery process.
When Russian defense companies take offs from their old Soviet warehouses, which in all conditions were stored and replacing their components-gunpowder, explosive, blast. And this is the most optimistic figure. The DPRK also expands the production of shells for the needs of the Russian Federation. "And about 1 million shells a year are supplied by Kim Jong-in. Why so? First, they have the same with Russia the Soviet calibers of artillery. And these shells in their warehouses are very many.
However, huge issues in the quality of these North Korean shells. They explode in their artillery systems. Military expert Oleg Zhdanov, given the number of shells, said that Russia allows up to 7 thousand artillery shelling of Ukrainian positions a day. 6200-6600 shellings were recorded on some days. "According to analytical centers and OSINT researchers, up to 60% of ammunition used by Russian artillery, they come from North Korea.
This is an extremely serious contribution to the support of hostilities of the Russian Federation," says Focus Zhdanov. The military expert also stressed that North Korea could only provide such large -scale assistance with China's assistance. The DPRK is unlikely to have such resources. In addition to the shells, the DPRK sells Russia's self -propelled artillery installations "Coxan" with a caliber, 170 mm. One of them was recently hidden by the Ukrainian FPV Dron.
"This testifies to the lack of artillery systems in the Russians, and a lack of shells. That is, they are ready to take any exotic systems, any shells, to shoot somehow," Pavel Narozhny said. According to Oleg Zhdanov, the DPRK transmitted to Russia the artillery of the Soviet model-in particular, 122 mm howitzers D-30. The most dangerous experts are the North Korean ballistic missiles KN-23. According to the nail, it is a Korean copy of the Russian "Iskander-M". It has supersonic speed.
The first versions of the rocket that were put in Ukraine were very inaccurate. They often smeared or could just fall. "We have successfully knocked them down, but the Russians with the North Koreans modified these missiles. In particular, the developers have put other navigation systems. Ours can no longer distinguish them from" Iskander, "the expert emphasized. They were ready to die in large quantities, because their brains were washed.
It was the elite of the North Korean Army - special forces who fought for old habits. They made a lot of mistakes. They went to attack groups of 20-30 people, not understanding how to act against drones. They also achieved the wounded so that they would not be captured, "the expert said. The last party of Koreans - about 2,000 people are made up of tricks, which are replaced by engineering troops. However, they are thrown into infantry because of the lack of personnel.
A new party is being prepared-up to 3,000 servicemen for departure to the Russian Federation, "-said a military expert. According to a military expert, Lieutenant General Igor Romanenko, Ukraine does not have the opportunity to destroy North Korean shells and weapons at the main stages of logistics. Weapons accumulate near the line of fighting - and that is where, in the last stages of logistics, it is worth hitting.
In addition, our special structures, if possible, need to act at the beginning of the chain - that is, where weapons are produced, stored, transported. And at each of these stages - if resources allow - it is necessary to organize sabotages, blasting, destruction of warehouses, etc. ", - the expert said in conversation with focus. In this, Ukrainian intelligence plays an extremely role. For a year and a half, we did not have an ambassador to China.