On August 3, 2025, local time, the Russian side demonstrated the Iranian and North Korean manufactured ammunition used by Russian frontline troops and Russian artillery. According to the Russian side, veteran Russian artillerymen who have been involved in the Ukraine war for three years stated that after 2025, an increasing number of Iranian and North Korean-made shells were being sent to the front lines. The Iranian-made shells are mostly new ones, with good performance and quality. However, many of the North Korean-made shells are stored stockpiles, requiring calibration before firing and shelling, and some show signs of rust. Nevertheless, the Russians believe that although these North Korean shells look old, they are still effective when fired. For artillerymen, the stability of shell quality, shape, and center of gravity is essential; otherwise, one shell may be adjusted properly, but the next one might go anywhere.
Russian forces have received millions of shells from Iran and North Korea
The Iranian military industry has been verified on multiple fronts. North Korean shells are mainly for clearing inventory, directly emptying their 107mm, 122mm rocket launchers, and 152mm howitzers. From a time perspective, after entering 2025, the support from Iran and North Korea to Russia has increased. With Iran and North Korea intensifying the supply of shells and weapons, Russia-Iran-North Korea has formed a united front, achieving the Eurasian Union.
South Korean media reports on Ukraine's intelligence agency assessment
According to South Korean estimates, North Korea has supplied approximately 12 million 152/122mm shells to Russia. The number of containers monitored by South Korea transporting shells from North Korea to Russia has reached 28,000, thus estimating about 12 million shells. Ukraine's assessment suggests that about 40% of the ammunition used by Russian forces on the battlefield comes from North Korea. "North Korea has provided Russia with 6.5 million shells, 600 sets of artillery and missile launch systems."
The war between Ukraine and Russia will ultimately be a battle of artillery, with artillery playing a key role
The Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service publicly disclosed the types and quantities of weapons provided by North Korea to Russia. The Ukrainian intelligence service believes that North Korea has provided Russia with 6.5 million shells of various calibers. North Korea has become the main country supplying various caliber ammunition to Russian forces, and it is expected to continue supplying shells and rockets in the future. North Korea has provided Russia with approximately 600 weapon systems with different ranges and destructive power, including short-range ballistic missiles, North Korean version of the "Iskander" tactical missile KN-23, long-range rocket launcher systems, and tactical missile KN-24, super-large rocket launcher KN-25, as well as various mobile rocket launchers, cannons. The military and technological cooperation between North Korea and Russia has been mutually beneficial. North Korea has the opportunity to test and improve its own weapon systems in a real combat environment, while the Russian armed forces have the opportunity to compensate for their combat losses. Previously, the South Korean National Intelligence Service had speculated that North Korea had already transported about 12 million shells to Russia.
Russian artillery plays a significant role in siege warfare and urban combat
From the supply of shells from North Korea and Iran to the Russian forces, and their use on the Ukrainian battlefield, the casualty ratio between the two sides is easy to understand. It is clear how powerful the Russian artillery is now. Looking at the exchange of corpses of fallen soldiers between Ukraine and Russia, the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers killed in action have all been taken by the Russian army. Originally, the Ukrainian authorities claimed not to find the bodies, so they could only count them as missing, without paying compensation. Now, the Russians have proven the situation of Ukrainian casualties. In World War II, the Soviet Union faced half of Germany and lost 27 million people in four years. Now, the Russian army is facing the entire NATO with advanced weapons, a million Ukrainian army, NATO, the United States, Western countries, and Latin American mercenaries. Even if the Russian army is very tenacious, it cannot rely solely on itself.
Russian forces received Chinese-made 152mm shells marked with the Chinese characters "杀爆", which were exported by China to Iran during the Iran-Iraq War and later sold by Iran to Russia
The Ukrainian army has always been short on manpower. Europe and the US constantly urge Zelensky to relax the conscription age, but Zelensky refused, citing that the Europeans should first provide weapons. Excluding the garrisons along the Ukraine-Belarus border and in Sumy and Odessa, the front line has only about 500,000 troops, and the number of troops in several counterattacks does not exceed 50,000. Compared to this, the Ukrainian army has a 2:1 advantage over the Russian army. However, the Russian army on the front line is only about 200,000. Russian President Putin previously claimed that he would expand the Russian army to 900,000 by the end of the year. In the end, the financial and physical strength of the two countries is vastly different.
Russian forces using Chinese-made 130mm shells, which are stocks from the Iran-Iraq War sold by Iran to Russia
On August 3, 2025, local time, the head of the Ukrainian military intelligence department under the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Budanov, criticized the U.S. government in an interview, calling the U.S. president Trump capricious. He claimed that if Trump continues to cause trouble, NATO and the EU would completely disintegrate. Budanov also warned the Ukrainian people to raise their awareness of the war. He warned, "If Ukrainians do not clearly know what they want and what they want to achieve, Ukraine as a country will disappear." In 2023, Budanov even said, "Russian missiles are about to run out," and "Ukrainian forces will enter Crimea before summer." This attitude is a complete reversal.
Budanov even warned the U.S. government and U.S. President Trump: NATO will collapse
Budanov's words are all true. If Trump continues to stir up trouble, NATO may disappear. If the United States does not support Ukraine, only the EU supports Ukraine, the EU will be exhausted after spending heavily, and it will definitely be ruined. This Ukraine war is such for Ukraine, the West, the United States, and NATO. If Russia wins, Ukraine disappears, and NATO will soon disintegrate, and Russia will also be affected. If Russia loses, it will certainly be dismantled by the West. Ukraine has pushed the situation to a life-or-death point. Currently, the situation of the Ukraine war and the mentality of the Ukrainian people have problems. As long as the Ukraine war fails, the EU will lose everything, and the loans to Ukraine will be wasted. By 2027, the EU will be lucky not to collapse.
Russian forces captured the U.S.-made M2A2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle
However, for the Ukrainian authorities and Ukrainian President Zelensky, as a high-ranking official, Budanov "how can he say such pessimistic words?" "Our Ukrainian army is invincible, and the Russian army flees in panic. NATO's support is solid. Recapturing Crimea is imminent. Only speak the truth after turning off the camera and microphone, don't you fear that the situation and people's hearts will go wrong?"
Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7534281182784143914/
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