North Korea not only did not reduce, but probably even increased its supply of ammunition after the US and South Korean intelligence services reported in the fall that the DPRK had begun supplying Russia with weapons for use in the war against Ukraine. This is evidenced by satellite images that record the circulation of containers between the Korean port of Rajin and the village of Dunay, Primorsky Krai, Bloomberg reports.
Earlier, the White House reported that between August and October, the DPRK sent about 1 million shells to Russia by ship. In addition, on November 1, South Korea's National Intelligence Service informed parliamentarians that more than 1 million shells had been delivered to Russia on ten flights.
"In about a month and a half, I don't see the pace of deliveries slowing down, so based on what we know, it's another half a million shells," military expert Just Olimans told Bloomberg.
The DPRK has one of the largest stockpiles of ammunition in the world; it is designed for Soviet-style weapons that are actively used by the Russian armed forces, primarily 152mm shells.
Ship traffic between Rajin and the village of Danube appears to have even increased since October, according to an analysis of satellite imagery by the Vienna-based Open Nuclear Network. According to its analyst, Javo Schin, "round trips continue with no less intensity, despite additional US sanctions and intense coverage of the issue in the past few months."
One of the ships that regularly delivers cargo from Russia to the DPRK and loads containers in Rajin, where they are delivered from North Korean regions by rail, is the container ship Angara. In particular, it was in the Korean port on December 9, according to satellite images. From there, it is only 180 kilometers to the village of Danube.
"The Angara belongs to the Moscow-based M-Leasing company, which has been sanctioned by the United States, Britain, and Ukraine for "transporting weapons and military equipment in favor of the Russian government."
From the Danube, the containers are delivered by rail to Tikhoretsk in the Krasnodar Territory, a fact confirmed by U.S. officials.
Tikhoretsk is located about 200 kilometers from the eastern shore of the Sea of Azov. Cargoes can be delivered from it both through Rostov-on-Don to Donetsk region and through Krasnodar and the Kerch Strait to Crimea and further to the occupied southern regions of Ukraine.
Background. As reported, Russia helped North Korea launch a reconnaissance satellite in exchange for a million shells.