Low quality, large quantity: What Ukrainian Armed Forces say about Russian ammo from North Korea

There was a lot of different information in open sources, for example, radio intercepts revealed the Russians complained about the imported shells, their non-detonation (this is a problem of demolitionists), large dispersion, and even shell bursts in gun barrels.

“We understand that these munitions came from the East Asian region. I cannot say for sure that these shells were supplied from the DPRK. But since 2023, we have come across trophy mortar mines and shells, as well as photos and videos with hieroglyphs on the markings,” the military said.

Musiienko adds that they can say for sure that these munitions are of lower quality and have problems with triggering.

“But unfortunately, they have a lot of them, with a hitting effect, they are used against our units and the Russians are quickly adapting to their features. We hear it in radio intercepts. They immediately made firing tables for such ammunition and identified amendments for use,” he said.

The Russians have a shortage of artillery ammunition in certain areas, and the Ukrainian military can feel it when they receive new supplies of ammunition.

“Whether it's a North Korean shell or some other kind, it will still hit and is likely to cause damage,” the colonel summarized.

Russia's 'new' guns at the front in Ukraine

Now the Russian army has started using guns of the 30s and 40s at the front - 122 mm M-30 howitzers and 152 mm D-1 howitzers.

They also use Soviet guns of the 50s, which are abundant in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. These are 130 mm M-46 cannons with a range of 27 kilometers, for which these countries have enough ammunition. This may to some extent create additional problems with their damage.

RBC-Ukraine previously reported that Russia began using a rare 122-mm D-74 cannon at the front. They have never had it in their warehouses.