North Korea supplies half of artillery shells Russia uses while Its soldiers die in Ukraine

North Korea provides Russia with approximately 3 million artillery shells yearly, about half of what Russia needs in its war against Ukraine, reports The Times, citing sources in Western intelligence.

“President Putin traveled to Pyongyang earlier this year to sign a defense pact with Kim Jong-un and the Kremlin has become dependent on the shuttered authoritarian state to maintain its advances in eastern Ukraine,” the article says.

Although many of the shells are considered defective, their sheer quantity allows Russia to make gradual territorial advances, including the recent capture of the Donetsk regional town of Vuhledar.

“The biggest problem among all of Russia’s allies is North Korea. The volume of military products they supply is really impacting the intensity of the fighting,” said a source cited by the London-based newspaper.

Meanwhile, an Oct. 3 aerial strike in Russian-occupied territory near Donetsk allegedly killed more than 20 military personnel, including six officers from North Korea, the Kyiv Post reported, citing intelligence sources.

North Korean officers arrived to conduct consultations with Russian military personnel. Before the missile strike, the occupiers were demonstrating to the North Korean representatives the preparation of their personnel for assault and defense operations, journalists report.

Earlier, the Associated Press, citing military personnel and analysts, reported that the capture of Vuhledar by Russian forces was the direct result of the U.S.’s refusal to allow Ukraine to conduct strikes within Russia.