US: Russia Plans to Import Millions of North Korean Ammunition... Sanctions Choke Weapon Supply Chain to Russia

"Basic Ammunition Production Also Difficult" Pointed Out
"Artillery Attack Frequency May Need to Decrease from Year-End"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The U.S. government revealed that Russia is pushing to import large quantities of ammunition from North Korea, indicating that Russia's weapons supply chain is in a precarious state due to sanctions against Russia. This is presumed to be because, as ammunition stocks run low amid the stalemate on the Ukraine front, even basic ammunition production is hindered due to difficulties in importing strategic resources.

As the Ukrainian military has launched a large-scale counteroffensive on major fronts, there are forecasts that if Russia fails to resolve its weapons supply chain issues by the end of the year, the tide of the war will rapidly turn in favor of Ukraine.

On the 6th (local time), John Kirby, White House National Security Council (NSC) Strategic Communications Coordinator, stated at a press briefing that "there are signs that Russia is in the process of purchasing ammunition from North Korea, and it appears to be acquiring millions of rounds of rockets and shells." However, he added that there is no evidence yet that an actual purchase has been made.

Previously, on the day before, The New York Times (NYT) reported, citing information declassified and released by U.S. intelligence agencies, that Russia intends to purchase ammunition from North Korea to deploy on the Ukraine front. The White House has now officially confirmed this. U.S. authorities did not disclose the exact types and quantities of weapons Russia seeks to import from North Korea.

The Biden administration praised Russia's move to purchase ammunition from North Korea as a significant result of U.S. and European sanctions that have heavily pressured Russia's military supply chain. White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre emphasized, "We are choking off Russia's military supply chain," adding, "Russia is now forced to rely on North Korea and Iran for military equipment."

Considering that the weapons and ammunition primarily possessed by North Korea are simple and outdated, analyses suggest that Russia's shortage of strategic resources is more severe than expected. Mason Clark, a Russia expert at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), pointed out in an interview with the NYT, "The Russian government must be anxious about the reality that it will have to import anything from North Korea going forward."

Earlier, Russia announced that it had imported a large number of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) from Iran last month, and since then, Western intelligence agencies have begun analyzing that the Russian military is facing significant difficulties in its weapons supply chain. According to CNN, Iranian drones are notorious for their high defect rates and have never been officially imported in large quantities except by pro-Iranian militias in the Middle East.

Some suggest that if Russia fails to resolve its weapons supply chain problems early amid Ukraine's large-scale counteroffensive, the course of the war could change dramatically. Russian military expert Pavel Luzhin warned in an interview with the Russian independent media outlet Insider, "If the intensity of the war with Ukraine remains at the current level until the end of the year, the Russian military will face a shortage of shells and will have to reduce the number of attacks by its main artillery forces."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.