A steady stream of military support continues to move across Asia and beyond, underscoring how security dynamics now hinge on the interplay between food aid and weaponry. From September onward, SeouI has counted roughly 6,700 containers traveling toward the Pionyang-Moscow axis. While this influx may not decisively alter the course of the broader conflict, it is unlikely to be inconsequential. In a nation with a tiny economy and recurring famines, the strongest industry is the military, and the system that sustains it is finely tuned to feed, fuel, and arm an ongoing effort.
Those thousands of containers could carry millions of artillery rounds, including three million rounds of 152 mm calibre or about half a million rounds of 122 mm calibre, according to estimates from South Korea. The defense minister, Shin Won-sik, described the shipments as probably a mix of ammunition types but emphasized that several million rounds have indeed reached their destinations. He noted that factories serving Russia operate at full pace, contrasting with other sectors suffering from electrical outages and supply disruptions.
The news follows a clear insistence from Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy that more bullets are needed than applause. Earlier this week, he lamented receiving only about 30 percent of the one million rounds promised by the European Union at the start of March. Public appetite in the United States for a rapid resolve also appears tempered as the conflict enters its third year, with warning signs for Kyiv still mounting.
Pyongyang and Moscow have denied direct arms-for-arms exchanges, while publicly celebrating their expanding military cooperation. Satellite imagery has shown shipments moving between North Korea’s Najin port and Russia’s Dunay, separated by barely 200 kilometers. Seoul argues that a summit between Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin in Russia has accelerated the cadence of this collaboration. In the period under review, North Korea received around 9,000 containers, about 30 percent more than those it sent, according to South Korean tallies. The cargoes mainly consisted of food, which has helped stabilise prices in Pyongyang.
Cooperation goes beyond the battlefield. Moscow has also supplied knowledge and technology to advance Pyongyang’s military program. It is not incidental that soon after the summit North Korea successfully launched its first spy satellite after earlier failures. Shin disclosed to South Korean reporters that Pyongyang is preparing to launch another missile in the coming days, having sought Moscow’s assistance in moving heavy equipment. The partnership thus affects not only the war in Ukraine but also raises the risk across Northeast Asia as Seoul and Pyongyang have drifted apart in the wake of recent tensions.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had warned during an Asian tour about a growing and dangerous relationship between Russia and North Korea. Moscow acted as a diplomatic and economic lifeline in the previous century, and the current moment has rekindled that closeness. Washington also accuses Pyongyang of arming Hamas with grenade launchers used in attacks on Israel.
Talks with the United States have cooled, and Pyongyang’s alignment with Moscow continues to cast a shadow over diplomatic efforts. Past negotiations between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un on North Korea’s denuclearisation produced many photo op moments but little tangible progress. Joe Biden has not managed to get Kim on the phone, and in an election year, scrutiny over Ukraine and Iran remains intense. In a gesture emblematic of these new times, a luxury Aurus limousine sent from Moscow to Kim highlights the evolving symbolism of their friendship and shared interests.