Russia Hurting Own Troops with Low-Quality Artillery: Ukraine

Russian forces in Ukraine are facing setbacks due to the use of low-quality artillery shells, many of which are believed to be supplied by North Korea.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported earlier this week that the combat effectiveness of the Russian front is being diminished due to reliance on substandard munitions, which are, in some cases, causing direct harm to their own troops.

The Russian military has been compelled to use artillery and mortar charges of inferior quality from North Korea, leading to instances of shells bursting prematurely within the barrels of their guns and mortars, resulting in the loss of military hardware and in casualties among Russian soldiers, the update said.

"Due to the unsatisfactory condition of such ammunition, rare cases of their bursting right in the barrels of guns and mortars of the occupiers are recorded, which leads to the loss of weapons and personnel of the invaders," the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.

In particular, those substandard shells which have been damaging the barrels of Russian artillery and causing injuries are within the Dnipro military group in the southern Kherson region of Ukraine, which is commanded by well-known Russian Colonel General Mikhail Teplinsky.

Newsweek has reached out to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Russian foreign ministry via email for comment.

The update issued by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine aligns with reports issued in October and November by the Associated Press, which indicate that North Korea had shipped over 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia to support its war efforts in Ukraine. The White House had condemned the shipments, stating that North Korea was likely seeking Russian military technologies in exchange.

Is Russia Losing the War?

Russia is dealing with the loss of roughly 87 percent of its active-duty ground troops and about 66 percent of its pre-invasion tanks since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February of last year, according to a CNN report.

Of the 360,000 troops in Russia's pre-invasion ground force, 315,000 have been lost in combat. Additionally, the Vladimir Putin-led country has lost 2,200 of its 3,500 tanks and 4,400 of its 13,600 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, the U.S. intelligence assessment found.

The assessment also indicates that the scale of Russian offensive operations has been reduced, failing to make gains in Ukraine since the war began early last year.

As Russia faces persistent shortages of trained personnel, munitions, and equipment, it has resorted to measures such as relaxing recruitment standards, utilizing Soviet-era equipment, and increasing conscription efforts, the U.S. intelligence assessment said.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has also announced several rounds of military recruitment and raised the age limit for certain reserve categories.

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