How did Kim Jong Un help Putin?

TL;DR

North Korea has supplied Russia with artillery shells, howitzers, rocket systems, and ballistic missiles to replenish war-depleted stockpiles in Ukraine.

Key Points

• 1.North Korea began supplying Russia as early as 2022 with artillery shells and rockets. This included 152mm shells and surface-to-surface rockets drawn from massive stockpiles built up over decades of facing South Korea without an actual war.
• 2.Approximately 120 M1989 Koksan 170mm self-propelled howitzers were sent to Russian forces. These outrange Russia's own Pion howitzer and fire a larger round than the 152mm Akatsiya, making them more effective at cracking fortified Ukrainian defenses.
• 3.Around 120 M1991 multiple launch rocket systems were also delivered. Based on the Soviet BM-24, each launcher fires 22 x 240mm rockets in 45 seconds and can cover ranges of 30–60 km using area-suppression tactics similar to carpet bombing.
• 4.At least 148 KN-23 ballistic missiles (Hwasong-11) had been delivered as of January 2025, with 150 more planned. The missile has a range of 600–700 km, carries a 500 kg warhead, and uses satellite or internal guidance to change flight path mid-air, complicating countermeasures.
• 5.North Korea benefits economically and strategically from the arrangement. Trade between Russia and North Korea increased ninefold in one year; Russia likely supplies raw materials, food, and rubles, while North Korea gets a chance to pressure-test its weapons and assert geopolitical relevance.