NYT: Russia Buying Millions of N. Korean Weaponry

KBS World ^ | 2022-09-06 | Unnamed

[Sacajaweau]

https://www.norfolktowneassembly.org/post/jefferson-s-embargo-act-and-the-depression-of-1807-11

[Not_Who_U_Think]

The Russians are buying back the artillery shells they sold the North Koreans 25 years ago. Probably at a good price.

I’ve read that our own production lines are only capable of making a few hundred shells a week, about what would normally be used in practice firing. If push comes to shove, maybe we can buy a few back from th Taliban.

[tlozo]

What status quo is Russia trying to change ?...but my statements about the sanctions stand until proven otherwise by who back-downs first.

Russia is trying to change the status quo; ie gas sales to Europe with the accompanying sanctions.

Russia cuts off gas exports to Europe via Nord Stream indefinitely

[tlozo]

I’ve read that our own production lines are only capable of making a few hundred shells a week, about what would normally be used in practice firing. If push comes to shove, maybe we can buy a few back from th Taliban.

Russians have used an estimated 7 million artillery shells in the six month invasion of Ukraine. Annual Russian artillery shell replenishment is estimated at 1.6-1.7 million shells of all types.

A farewell to arms. By year end Russia will be left almost without shells, artillery and armored vehicles

One of the underestimated problems is the finite number of Russian artillery shells and guns. There is a common perception among experts, observers, and concerned citizens that Russia had inherited a vast stock of artillery equipment from the Soviet Union. The problem is that Soviet artillery shells could not be stored for long and as early as summer 2002, during the second Chechen campaign, the Russian army faced a shortage of 122 mm and 152 mm shells.

Of course, this does not mean that the entire Soviet artillery arsenal should be written off. For example, solid-propellant rockets for multiple rocket launchers are much less sensitive to long-term storage than rounds for rifled artillery, most of which, at the very least, were long overdue for restorative repair. Moreover, the arsenal was thoroughly depleted not only by the two Chechen wars and the short-lived Georgian campaign, but also by the military campaign in Ukraine in 2014-2015 and, probably, even more so by the campaign in Syria.

At the same time, it should be understood that the rate of shell consumption during the two Chechen wars was many times lower than during the current war, when it reaches 40,000-60,000 shells of all types per day during high intensity combat operations, dropping to 24,000 per day during periods of so-called «lulls».

It is worth trying to estimate the rate of Russian artillery shell production, given the fact that it was relatively small in the 1990s and 2000s, and was at its peak in the 2010s. However, even that rate of production of existing projectiles, as well as the rate of developing and creating new ammunition, did not seem to suit the Ministry of Defense. Therefore, in 2014, a large-scale program was launched to restore shells that had survived in artillery and missile arsenals. By the end of 2017, this program restored 1.7 million munitions and missiles of all types, that is, about 570,000 per year. It was particularly emphasized that their production from scratch would have cost the budget 117 billion rubles, or 39 billion rubles per year.

Based on these figures, it is possible to estimate the volume of artillery ammunition production itself. If we look at the earnings of the corresponding industrial enterprises and conglomerates, we will see that during those years they ranged between 80-100 billion rubles. The earnings, of course, also include civilian products, which in some enterprises account for 25-30% of the total revenue. As a consequence, the ratio between recovered and newly produced munitions can be estimated, albeit roughly, as 1:2. Or for each 570,000 shells restored, there are up to 1.14 million new ones. Thus, the total annual rate of replenishment of artillery arsenals in the 2010s did not exceed 1.6-1.7 million shells of all types. It is worth mentioning an interesting detail: the supply of rockets of all types in 2017, for example, amounted to only 10,700.

As a result, it turns out that during the six months of aggression against Ukraine, Russia should have spent at least 7 million shells, not counting the losses of frontline depots as a result of Ukrainian strikes. In other words, if the intensity of the war remains at its current level, Moscow will face a tangible shell shortage by the end of 2022 and will have to reduce its use of artillery in order to save munitions.

https://theins.ru/en/politics/254573

[libh8er]

How sad. This is the country that wants to be the ‘other’ pole in a multipolar world. Yup, armed with North Korean weaponry. That’s the key.

[blitz128]

Would be nice to know what is true. If indeed Russia is looking to buy weapons like arty shells from NK. What happened to all the stories of Russia having a hundred years supply of shells. Why is Russia the largest military in the region creating new units like 3rd corp out of conscripts. Why has Russia not crushed the upstart Ukrainian military? Over 5000 weapon systems lost over 1000 tanks and thousands of other armored vehicles is not good yes they have vast stores of them in “reserve” but from what I have seen they look more like junk yards rather than mothballed ready for action assets. They are buying weapon systems from Iran possibly NK and China all to battle Ukraine? Doesn’t seem like things are going so well for Russia as some here claim. Billionaires falling from windows, generals being replaced left and right, lines basically static and both sides losing equipment and soldiers at what rate, who knows, but safe to say large numbers. Will Russia eventually “win”. Well I guess that depends on the definition of win, but at this point I would say that Russia was considered the top 2 or 3 militaries in the world, aside from nukes which I am not making light of, their conventional forces are not even top 2 in the region. I am old enough and spent enough time in the military to remember when the belief was that Russia would roll over Eastern Europe and into Germany with their vast numbers of tanks soldiers air assets and arty and we would be lucky to stop them at French border and that was with the use of tactical nukes… and now Russia is in a slug fest with Ukraine arguably not their equal…..

[lodi90]

What happened to all the stories of Russia having a hundred years supply of shells.

---

It’s all Kremlin gaslighting. Russia invented the Potemkin village and Fake News. Putin’s Gorby moment is at hand. Only the Soros EU allowing their partner Putin to “save face” will save him from humiliating defeat in Ukraine and the Mussolini treatment at home. Russia will keep the stolen land bridge in a ceasefire deal and the Kremlin’s useful idiots will tell us that is what they only wanted all along.

[srmanuel]

That makes no sense, the EU countries are sanctioning Russia and Russia is changing the status quo because they are retaliating, I doubt Russia is going to roll over and give up and accept the sanctions without reacting to them.

[Not_Who_U_Think]

‘by the end of 2022 and will have to reduce its use of artillery in order to save munitions.’

“Hold on men, I think they’re almost out of ammo...”

George Custer, 1876

[blitz128]

I could believe that. This dragging out and both sides losing lots of men and equipment is a reality but in my mind this is like Mike Tyson and pee wee Harris in a boxing match and we are in the 5th round and Harris is still fighting. Tyson most likely will win but doesn’t look good for Tyson supporters. There is a lot going on that we don’t t know but pretty sure that the vail of superiority that the Russian military has been given over the years is at best severely tarnished
Thanks for the note and not calling me a troll

[tlozo]

What happened to all the stories of Russia having a hundred years supply of shells.

Artillery shells have to be properly stored. Russians store artillery shells outside.

Storage and transportation of ammunition in Russian army - 2010

Not long ago, there were explosions in the arsenals of Udmurtia and Bashkortostan. Currently, the storage and transportation of ammunition in Russian army often violate all sorts of safety rules.

Here is just one example of open storage of shells. There are about 90 railroad cars of 125 mm high-explosive shells in this dump. Not surprising that something always explodes in such storages. Photos from Yaplakal.com

https://russiatrek.org/blog/army/storage-and-transportation-of-ammunition-in-russian-army/

[bert]

This flies in the face of Free Republic pro Russia economic dogma so it can’t possibly be true. /s

What is says is that mega losers are attempting to form coalitions to prevent further the withering on the vine and economic death

[bert]

Russia currently has no products to sell abroad. Russian foreign sales are presently limited to commodities, mostly oil and gas

The real story here is that Russia needs to buy artillery shells? It was axiomatic that Russian Generals first option is always guns parked wheel to wheel to batter the enemy senseless before a double envelopment.

The question rises, what happened to all the shells required? The answer seems to be that they did not actually exist.

The story is widely reported and not restricted to the New York Times.

[dennisw]

Good news!

[Husker24]

Remember when the North Koreans shelled those islands a number of years ago? Most of the shells were duds.

[srmanuel]

You and I have no idea if it’s true or not, we’ve been fed so much propaganda that turned out to be false, to latch on any of it as the truth is dumb if you ask me.

When you say Russia has no products to sell abroad and then list two, it’s sort of counter intuitive, they absolutely sell products abroad, you listed two of them.

Russia is also one of the biggest exporters in the world of Wheat and fertilizer, two things that will really show up on the grocery store aisle over the next few months as this war in Ukraine drags on.

[for-q-clinton]

You mean they released CLASSIFIED information! OMG! The Horror!

[bert]

The “products” are commodities and not manufactured goods. Describing commodities as products is error

[ansel12]

You are seeing what I am seeing, good post.

[blitz128]

Great post looks a lot like their “reserves” of tanks. A bit like looking at a junk yard and counting all those cars as “in storage”. I guess my point is about all this back and forth about just about everything as if either side has facts. How many stories did we see about the Russians will basically never run out of shells because they have so many and then you see these pictures and stories about buying shells from NK…. But one side claims nearly unlimited shells and if you question you are called a troll or shill for Ukraine. Like this is some kind of sporting event and no fouls called on my team are right. As an observation if you thought Russian was this mighty juggernaut at the very least that has to be questioned
Thanks for the great post