North Korea has sent over 11,000 troops and supplied massive quantities of weapons to support Russia's war in Ukraine, according to a new report by a United Nations monitoring group that accuses both countries of engaging in systematic violations of international sanctions. The findings provide fresh insight into Moscow's increasing reliance on Pyongyang as it intensifies missile attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure.
The Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), formed in 2024 and comprising 11 UN member states including the U.S., U.K., Japan, and several EU countries, reported Thursday that Kim Jong-un's regime has transferred at least 100 ballistic missiles, more than 9 million rounds of mixed artillery and rocket launcher ammunition, and other heavy arms to Russian forces since September 2023. The shipments were delivered by sea, air, and rail.
The MSMT stated that "North Korea and Russia intend to continue and further deepen their military cooperation in contravention of relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions," and cited what it described as a "myriad of unlawful activities," including arms transfers, training of North Korean forces, and shipments of refined petroleum to Pyongyang in breach of existing UN restrictions.
"The oil market remains tight indicating it can absorb additional barrels, as the effective increase should be smaller as several of the eight countries are overproducing, and demand is seasonally rising," said Giovanni Staunovo, analyst at UBS.
The report said North Korea had deployed another 3,000 troops between January and March 2025, following the original deployment of 11,000 soldiers last year. These troops, according to North Korea's Central Military Commission, are fighting under a mutual defense treaty signed by Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin in June 2024, which pledges military support if either nation is attacked.
North Korean forces have reportedly participated in military operations to help Russia reclaim contested areas, including the Kursk region. "They who fought for justice are all heroes and representatives of the honor of the motherland," Kim said, according to a statement carried by KCNA, the North's state-run news agency. Putin praised Pyongyang's intervention in April, stating North Korea acted "on a sense of solidarity, justice and genuine comradeship."
The MSMT report emphasized that North Korean ballistic missiles have been used to strike Ukrainian population centers including Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia, describing the effect as having "terrorised" entire cities. The Kremlin has also reportedly supplied Pyongyang with air defense systems, anti-aircraft missiles, and advanced electronic warfare tools. The battlefield use of North Korean missiles in Ukraine is said to have produced performance data that Moscow shared with Pyongyang, contributing to "improvements in missile guidance performance."
In exchange for its support, North Korea is believed to be seeking Russian assistance with its struggling spy satellite program, as well as broader military and technological collaboration.
Despite public denials by both governments regarding weapons transfers, the MSMT's findings highlight how the Kremlin's war strategy is increasingly intertwined with one of the world's most heavily sanctioned and isolated regimes.
The disclosures come as Russian missile and drone attacks persist across Ukraine. On Saturday, Ukrainian officials reported that Russian strikes had killed at least two people, including a 9-year-old girl. The Ukrainian air force said Moscow had launched 109 drones and five missiles overnight into Saturday.
The developments arrive amid renewed discussions of peace talks. Andrii Yermak, chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Kyiv was prepared to resume negotiations with Russia in Istanbul on Monday, contingent on the Kremlin providing a formal memorandum on its proposed terms. Moscow, which continues to demand Ukrainian neutrality and territorial concessions, insists it will not halt attacks during discussions.
