The Russian military was armed with 122mm rockets for MRL, which were manufactured in North Korea.

Photos of these missiles in Russia were shown by analysts from the Ukraine Weapons Tracker.

This is the first time that ammunition manufactured by the DPRK has been spotted in the hands of the Russian military.

North Korean R-122 rockets of caliber 122mm are used from BM-21 Grad rocket launchers. They have F-122 fuses.

Photos show that almost all the marks on the rockets were wiped out.

The most likely supplier of these rockets is ​​Iran, which, as you know, owns R-122 rockets and actively helps Russia in the war against Ukraine.

“Iran, as is well known, owns R-122 rockets and previously sent 152mm artillery shells to Russia,” analysts said.

Russian media also say that the photos that appeared on the web are North Korean rocket ammunition. They were allegedly provided by Iran and not directly by the DPRK, since Korean R-122 rockets were at one time in service with the Iranian army.

It is also possible that these rockets were transferred to the Russian PMC Wagner formation by the DPRK, which then transferred them to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Back in December 2022, the White House officially confirmed that North Korea had delivered rockets for infantry units of the Russian PMC Wagner to wage war in Ukraine.

“We can confirm that North Korea has completed the initial supply of weapons to the Wagner Group, which paid for the equipment,” John Kirby said.

In July 2023, the Russian Ministry of Defense disarmed units from the so-called PMC Wagner.