Russia's main allies in war against Ukraine: what they supply to Russian army

Military and political observer Oleksandr Kovalenko shared his analysis in an article for the joint project of OBOZ.UA and the Information Resistance group.

Belarus

According to Kovalenko, in 2022, during the failed rapid takeover of Ukraine, Russia quickly faced a severe shortage of ammunition and equipment due to its underutilized defense industry.

Belarus was the first country not only to directly support the invasion of Ukraine from its territory but also to facilitate the supply of ammunition and equipment to Russia. Specifically, Belarusian authorities granted Russian troops access to the 1405, 1398, 1886, and 25, 43, 46 storage depots, allowing Russia to export over 70,000 tons of ammunition and military equipment from Belarusian territory in 2022.

Russian troops have taken at least 100 T-72A tanks from the 969th Tank Reserve Base, artillery including self-propelled guns and howitzers from the 1868th Arsenal in Gomel, and over fifty KamAZ and Ural trucks from the 288th Automotive Reserve Base.

Belarus played a crucial role in helping Russia mitigate its losses in Ukraine and restore its military-industrial complex, preventing a more significant frontline failure.

Iran

“After Belarus, Iran became the second country to supply weapons to Russia. Although Iran is primarily noted for supplying Shahed-136 kamikaze drones, it has been providing Moscow with other types of weaponry since 2022,” military expert emphasizes.

To date, it is known that Russia receives the following Iranian-made military goods:

• UAVs: Mohajer-6, Shahed-131, Shahed-136
• Aerial Bombs: Ghaem-5
• Helmets: NIJ II
• Body Armor: Rouin-3
• ATGMs: Dehlaviyeh
• Ammunition: 152-mm for D-20, 130-mm for M-46, 122-mm for D-30
• MLRS: 122-mm rounds

Russian forces began actively using Iranian munitions in late 2022 and early 2023. While these supplies helped alleviate the ammunition shortage in combat zones, they did not fully resolve the issue. In 2023, efforts were significantly increased to persuade North Korea to support Russia in military-technical cooperation.

DPRK

In 2023, Moscow and Pyongyang finalized ammunition supply agreements during meetings in July and a September summit between Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin. Shipments of Soviet-caliber ammunition began arriving in Russia shortly afterward.

Supplies from North Korea to Russia were conducted via sea routes using container ships. According to South Korean intelligence, the first wave of shipments consisted of 5,000 40-foot containers, potentially corresponding to up to 1 million 152mm shells with powder charges or 2-2.5 million rounds of 152mm, 112mm, and other calibers.

Since 2023, a significant number of North Korean munitions have been verified in Ukraine. This includes 152mm and 122mm artillery shells, first verified in October 2023, and 122mm rockets for BM-21 Grad systems. Additionally, Russian forces received a large number of 120mm mines for mortar units.

In January, it was confirmed that North Korea supplied Russia with KN-23 ballistic missiles, a precise copy of Russia's 9M723 Iskander missiles, with this confirmation coming from an attack on Kharkiv.

At the beginning of 2024, South Korean intelligence warned of renewed North Korean arms shipments to Russia, reporting the dispatch of 10,000 containers or about 5 million munitions.

By late winter to early spring 2024, Russian forces began using North Korean 130mm artillery shells for Soviet M-46 howitzers, which have greater range compared to most Russian artillery and are used for counter-battery fire.

Kovalenko notes that Iran and the DPRK are among the largest operators of the M-46 and have both 130-mm production and sufficient stockpiles.

Recent reports indicate that North Korea may have supplied Russia with a batch of Bulsae-5 anti-tank missile systems, which are derived from the Russian Kornet system. While confirmation of these systems being received by Russian forces is still pending, their arrival is significant given the current severe shortage of anti-tank missiles experienced by Russia.

“Currently, Iran and North Korea are Russia's most reliable military-technical partners, predominantly supplying ammunition while refraining from transferring equipment, despite Moscow's requests. Belarus is the sole country providing military hardware to Russia at this time. However, this does not preclude the potential for Russia to receive military equipment from Iran and North Korea in the future, particularly as stockpiles diminish and pressure on Russia’s military capabilities increases,” the military expert concludes.