Bruce Bennett

Russian president Vladimir Putin praised North Korea's support for Russia's war in Ukraine as he prepared for his first visit to Pyongyang in 24 years, seeking to bolster defense ties. Amid allegations of North Korea supplying arms to Russia, the visit aims to strengthen bilateral relations, raising security concerns globally.

For Russia, North Korea is a good option for its ammunitions supply, because the North keeps a significant stockpile of shells, many of them copies of Soviet-era ones. North Korea will likely sell older shells that it wants to replace with newer ones for multiple rocket launch systems or sophisticated missiles in its front-line army bases