The photos of ammunition produced by the closest “allies” of the Russian Federation in service with the Defense Forces of Ukraine periodically appear on the web.

The ammunition of various nomenclature and calibers have been identified by OSINT analysts as products of the Iranian, Chinese and Serbian defense industries.

Also, the ammunition of North Korean production was spotted in service with the Ukrainian Defense Forces for the first time.

On this occasion, it is worth discussing possible ways to supply these ammunition and the history of their appearance on the battlefield of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Iran: everything except the Shaheds

Today, Iran is one of the largest exporters of weapons to the Russian Federation. Judging by the documents that fell into the hands of SkyNews journalists, Russia buys ammunition, barrels and drones from Iran.

The source shared the information about the purchase by the Russians of barrels for Т-72 tanks and 122mm howitzers, as well as rounds for them. The value of the contract amounted to about $740,000.

Besides, the annex lists other positions of the agreement, in particular, on plans for the supply of components of 122mm and 152mm artillery rounds.

Earlier, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Russians had bought about 300 thousand artillery rounds and a million other ammunition from the Iranians.

Iranian M48 120mm mortar rounds have already been recorded in service with the Ukrainian troops, along with Iranian HM-16 mortars.

The most interesting fact is that, judging by the markings of ammunition, they were made in 2022. According to the analysts who identified the rounds, the number of Iranian 120mm mortar rounds in the arsenals of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was measured “not by hundreds or even thousands of shells – there are even more”.

Iranian 120mm mortar rounds can be distinguished by its bright brown (cream) color, location of powder charges and marking.

In addition to mortar rounds, in service with tank units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, Iranian 125mm high-explosive fragmentation rounds have been spotted as well, which is a copy of the Soviet 3OF19.

The Iranian origin of the rounds can be determined from the black-painted tail of the ammunition.

Moreover, they are packed in characteristic ammunition shipping containers, which can be identified in the photos by their marking and form.

In March this year, Ukrainian Mi-8/17 helicopters were spotted with Iranian S-8OF 80mm HE-FRAG unguided rockets, also known as Fadak 2.

In addition to airborne rockets, the Ukrainian artillery appears to have in service the Iranian 122mm rockets of the Arash family, which are used with the BM-21 Grad MRL.

Marking on airborne and artillery ammunition indicates that they were manufactured in 2022, that is, they found their way to Ukraine almost immediately after production.

It is yet unknown how exactly Iranian ammunition enters Ukraine.

Many experts exclude the possibility of intercepting the smuggled ammunition intended for Iran-backed terrorist groups, because the ammunition spotted in Ukraine is not used by these formations.

Ukraine may have received ammunition by re-export with the help of third countries or companies. Although the “fresh” ammunition of 2022 year of manufacture indicates that the Iranian government had to be involved.

Made in China

Chinese ammunition has also been repeatedly noticed in service with the Ukrainian Defense Forces, mainly M-83A 60mm mortar rounds.

Initially, these ammunition were shown as evidence of Chinese assistance to the Russians, but there is a caveat: there are no 60mm mortars in service with the Russian army.

Apart from the mortar rounds, the photos of Chinese Type 66 152mm artillery shells with Iranian propellant charges appeared on the network. There is a possibility that these ammunition are captured, because information about their use by the Russians appeared earlier.

Perhaps such ammunition has been purchased from African countries, which are almost the largest operators of Chinese weapons.

Stab in the back from Serbia

Serbia is the most controversial country among the list of Russian “allies”. Serbian ammunition was spotted in service with Ukraine’s armed forces in March this year.

Ukrainian gunners use Serbian ER Grad 2000 122mm rockets.

After public exposure of the possible sale of 3,500 rockets to MLRS by Serbia through an intermediary, UWP analysts confirmed that the rockets were sold to Ukraine and they were used by the Defense Forces.

It is known that the Canadian company JNJ Export Import acquired ammunition from the Serbian enterprise Krušik.

From Serbia to Turkey, containers of ammunition were transported by Arca Savunma Sanayi Ticaret, and from there, missiles were delivered through Slovakia to Ukraine.

The main difference between ER Grad 2000 rockets and Soviet ones is the maximum range increased to 40 km, which is twice the range of Soviet 9M21OF rockets.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić denied selling ammunition to Ukraine. He subsequently reported that the country could not control the re-export of Serbian-made weapons.

In addition to rockets, mortar rounds were also seen: photos of Serbian M62P10 120mm mortar rounds made in 2023 appeared on the network.

Moreover, 2021 production M68P1 82mm mortar rounds were also spotted, packed in boxes with inscriptions in Serbian.

Juche way!

As Militarnyi previously reported, the journalists caught 122mm rockets on camera. They had markings that resembled those of North Korea.

The editors of Militarnyi compared the photos of North Korean ammunition captured on an Iranian vessel in 2009. At the time, they tried to ferry them for Hamas terrorists.

The inscriptions on the shells and the index “R-12 HE” completely coincide. There are differences only in the last line, where the batch and the date of manufacture are marked.

A rocket photographed in the hands of a Ukrainian gunner, judging by the marking, was made in 1995.

It is not known how the ammunition produced by the DPRK, a country that has repeatedly expressed support for Russia’s actions and is under total sanctions around the world, got to Ukraine.

Most likely, ammunition was purchased from third countries that had acquired it earlier.

It can also be assumed that these shells could have reached Ukraine after being intercepted as contraband weapons by allied forces, which were heading for terrorists in the Middle East.

Nothing personal, only business

As you can see, the ammunition of countries that the Russians called their friends and allies is used in Ukraine against the Russians themselves.

The Serbian and Iranian-made projectiles appear to have been manufactured in 2022 and 2023, suggesting that they were procured under new contracts.

The purchase of ammunition from Serbia can be understood, according to President Vučić, the country is economically dependent on the sale of weapons.

In addition, the Serbian authorities officially stated that they were not against the supply of weapons to Ukraine, and Pentagon documents confirm that the country is providing military assistance to Ukraine.

Chinese ammunition could well be purchased through third countries, most likely African, or through third-party companies.

The absolute surprise was discovering ammunition from the DPRK, which could have been purchased from third-party countries or seized from smugglers.

However, the appearance of a large number of Iranian shells raises questions about Iran’s status as Russia’s main ally in the Middle East.

Such purchases from “dubious” countries help Ukraine overcome the shortage of Soviet-style ammunition, the stocks of which are quickly running out in Europe.

These countries have a powerful defense-industrial complex that can produce the amount of ammunition required by the Ukrainian Defense Forces.