At a time when Russia and Ukraine are in a stalemate and the fight is inseparable, Ukraine has to urgently withdraw its troops from the Avdiivka region because of the lack of ammunition reserves on the front line, and many ** equipment are facing no ammunition available, giving up the solid positions that have been operating for 8 years. Following the Battle of **Mutter, the Russian military achieved another major victory. The defeat in Avdiivka not only severely damaged the morale of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but also greatly weakened Ukraine's confidence in the victory over Russia. Maybe even the United States wonders, after 2 years of war, why is Russia getting richer and richer, while Ukraine is getting poorer and poorer?
According to Yonhap News Agency on February 27, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik claimed that in order to support the big brother Russia's war against Ukraine, North Korea has shipped about 6,700 containers to Russia, including more than 3 million 152mm shells or 500,000 122mm shells. What kind of concept is North Korea's million ammunition aid to Russia? According to online information, Russia's daily ammunition consumption will reach about 70,000 pieces in 2023, and even if the war is not fierce, the daily shell consumption can reach about 20,000 pieces. It can be said that the 3 million artillery shells aided by North Korea can allow Russia to support at least half a year. This is a great favor for Russia, and it tastes like charcoal in the snow. With the continuous military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, the North Korean arsenal will increase horsepower production and continue to provide Russia with more advanced ammunition.
North Korea supplies Russia with 300 million artillery shells, what benefit does North Korea get? According to the speculation of South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik, an important purpose of North Korea actively providing ammunition to Russia is in exchange for Russian food aid. From July to August 2023, Russia shipped about 9,000 containers to North Korea, which were filled with food needed by North Korea, as well as a large number of daily necessities and other supplies. It can be said that, on the one hand, this method of bartering can well meet the interests and needs of both sides and conform to the fundamental interests of the two countries. On the other hand, because of the interoperability between the two countries, the artillery shells aided by the DPRK can be directly used in Russia's equipment, so Russia is also willing to purchase a large amount of ammunition from the DPRK.
At the same time, Russia will also increase its horsepower and continuously expand its own ammunition production capacity to meet the huge daily consumption of artillery shells by the Russian army. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Defense, since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the Russian army has fired an average of 20,000 shells per day, and the Ukrainian army's daily shell consumption is about one-fifth of that of the Russian army. It is conceivable that without sufficient ammunition reserves, the Ukrainian army simply cannot organize an effective offensive, and can only be forced to defend. And the huge consumption of artillery shells has also put a lot of pressure on Russian ammunition production.
At present, Russia is working to expand its ammunition production capacity, hoping to increase its annual artillery production capacity to 2 million rounds. If you add the artillery shells assisted by North Korea, it can basically meet Russia's artillery needs. So, how much ammunition assistance can Ukraine receive from the EU. It is reported that the annual production capacity of artillery shells in the entire European Union is very scarce, only 300,000 rounds. It is estimated that this stockpile, in addition to maintaining the EU army's own use, will be very little ammunition that can be provided to Ukraine. In the face of Ukraine's overstretched ammunition reserves, it is believed that Russia's offensive on the battlefield will be sharper and more confident in winning this conflict.