Russia received 3.5M artillery shells from North Korea, more expected – Zelenskyy

He said this in an interview with the Japanese agency Kyodo News.

"If we see reports indicating that North Korea supplied Russia with 3.5 million artillery shells this year for the war against us, and if we know that Russia is counting on receiving several million more in 2025, we have documented evidence of this," the president emphasized.

Zelenskyy also noted that approximately 12,000 North Korean soldiers have arrived in Russia to participate in the war against Ukraine.

"We have information that there are already casualties and injuries among North Korean soldiers. However, I don’t have exact numbers at this time. There is no confirmed data yet, and I don't want to speculate—there must be evidence," Zelenskyy said.

According to the president, there is also evidence of North Korea supplying weapons to Russia. He specifically mentioned MLRS, missiles, and "millions of artillery shells."

• Recently, Ukraine's defense intelligence reported that North Korea has delivered over 100 artillery systems, more than 100 short-range ballistic missiles of the KN-23/24 type, and around 5 million rounds of ammo to Russia.
• At a meeting of the UN Security Council, U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative Robert Wood said that North Korea is preparing to transfer additional ballistic missiles to Russia.
• Andrii Cherniak, a representative of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence, stated that since the start of the full-scale war, Russian forces have used around 60 North Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles in attacks on Ukraine.