Russia and North Korea tighten military alliance against Ukraine
The Pentagon is increasingly attentive to the strengthening ties between Russia and North Korea. There are concerns that Putin's major ally could begin supporting troops fighting in Ukraine with a wider variety of weapons. What further supplies might North Korea send to the front lines from its stockpiles?
The Ukrainian portal Defense Express, which focuses on military topics, highlights public reports on remarks by the Pentagon's spokesman, Patrick Ryder. He stated that "the potential deployment of North Korean troops to participate in the war against Ukraine on Russia's side is something worth watching closely."
What kind of weapons can North Korea provide to Russia?
The Ukrainians stress the North Korean army's manpower and armaments, with particular emphasis on heavy military equipment such as tanks, armoured personnel carriers, and artillery systems.
Based on publicly available information (which may be incomplete due to Pyongyang's policies), it is estimated that North Korea currently possesses approximately 3,500 main battle tanks. Most of these are models well known to the Russians, as they have Soviet origins. These primarily include the T-34, T-54, T-55, and T-62 models. North Korea's arsenal also contains Chinese tanks Type-59 and indigenous tanks Pokpoong (both based on Soviet designs).
Although these tanks are ancient, the Russians have shown they can still be used in modern conflicts. The T-62 tanks have frequently been seen in Ukraine. These tanks, designed in the 1960s, are equipped with smoothbore cannons of 115 mm calibre and have 580 horsepower (HP) engines, allowing them to reach a maximum speed of approximately 50 kilometres per hour (31 mph).
Regarding armoured personnel carriers and anti-aircraft systems, North Korea also relies on outdated Soviet-era equipment. It possesses, among others, BTR-50 and BTR-60 vehicles and Igla, Strela-2, Strela-10, and several S-200 air defence systems. According to Defense Express analysts, the same applies to aviation; however, North Korea's reserves are so modest that it is hard to imagine any assistance to Russia in the form of aircraft.
North Korean missiles have been falling on Ukraine for a long time
The concerns of the Pentagon and Ukrainians are well-founded. Russia has been receiving support from North Korea for many months. According to Ukrainian reports, this initially involved artillery shells of 152 mm and 122 mm calibres. However, in early 2024, attacks began to be recorded using North Korean ballistic missiles KN-23. These missiles are approximately 8 metres (25 feet) in length and 1 metre (3 feet) in diameter. They weigh about 3,400 kilograms (7,500 pounds), with around 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) allocated to warheads, capable of striking targets up to 600 kilometres (372 miles) away.
