The Kremlin has almost exhausted its arsenal of Soviet weapons: dependence on North Korea, Iran, and China has increased significantly

Russia is rapidly losing the remnants of its Soviet-era weapons stockpiles and is increasingly dependent on foreign allies for assistance. According to the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE), supplies from Russian warehouses will be halved by the end of 2025. The focus is on active support from North Korea, Iran, and China, which effectively keep the Russian military machine in working order.

This is reported by the Financial Times .

According to a new KSE study, Russia has practically exhausted the Soviet stockpiles of equipment that it has been actively using since the beginning of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Key figures:

• In 2022, the Russian Federation transferred 242 thousand tons of equipment and ammunition from military warehouses to the front.
• By the end of 2025, this figure will drop to 119 thousand tons — almost half as much.
• In Russia, repair volumes have also decreased — fewer materials are arriving at the front than repair stations can process.

Analysts note that Russia is already using equipment from the 1940s, in particular T-54 tanks.

To whom does Russia owe its support?

North Korea is the main supplier of ammunition:

• Since 2024, 52% of Russia’s explosives have come from the port of Nakhodka, which is linked to North Korea.
• Before the war, there were no such supplies at all.
• 250,000 tons of cargo from the DPRK have been recorded, including missiles, ammunition, and even manpower.
• Kirill Budanov (GUR MOU) confirms: up to 40% of shells at the front are North Korean-made.
• According to Seoul, North Korea has already delivered 28,000 containers to Russia.

Iran is a source of explosives and components:

• According to KSE, Russia received 13,000 tons of explosives, most likely from Iran.
• This country also provides drones used for attacks on Ukraine.

China is a supplier of defense “stuffing”:

• Although Beijing officially denies lethal aid, data shows that China has doubled the volume of supplies to Russian defense enterprises – more than 3 million tons of cargo from border regions.
• This includes components, equipment, microcircuits, machine tools, and other critical equipment.

KSE analyst Lucas Reisinger notes that the extent of Russia’s dependence on foreign allies contradicts the image of an independent military power that the Kremlin is trying to promote.

“Russia cannot withstand the burden of war alone. Its combat capability is increasingly determined by Pyongyang, Tehran, and Beijing,” Reisinger concludes.

Despite the decline in Soviet stockpiles, the Kremlin is investing in new reserves. However, experts say that without external support, Russia will not be able to maintain the intensity of its strikes on Ukraine, and it is likely holding high-precision munitions for a hypothetical conflict with NATO.

It was previously reported that Russia maintains significant stocks of missiles of various types and continues to actively replenish its arsenal . The Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine has published current data on the availability and monthly production of missiles in the Russian Federation as of May 2025.

We will remind you that the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, Oleg Ivashchenko, stated that China supplies special chemicals, gunpowder, and machine tools to 20 Russian military-oriented factories.

It is known that North Korea continues to supply Russia with ammunition to support its war against Ukraine . According to South Korean military intelligence, the DPRK may have transferred more than 12 million 152 mm shells to the Russian Federation.

It is worth adding that the Iranian parliament officially approved the strategic partnership agreement with Russia , which was signed by the presidents of the two countries on January 17, 2025 in Moscow.

Also follow “Pryamim” on Facebook , Twitter , Telegram , and Instagram.