North Korea reduced naval arms deliveries to Russia by three times in January
3.01.2026 - 10:48
The decrease in intensity was influenced by ice conditions in Russian Far Eastern ports and possible internal political pauses before the party congress.
In January, North Korea made only one trip with a cargo of weapons for Russia, while previously such flights took place approximately every week. This is reported by NK Pro, citing satellite images from Planet Labs.
According to analysts, during the month, a Russian cargo ship (“Angara” or Lady R) appeared at the port of Rason only once and loaded containers with weapons. The previous shipment was taken out on December 21, and the new containers, stacked on the pier on December 31, were collected by the Russian side only two weeks later. Previously, such logistics were recorded at least three times a month.
A Russian ship loads containers at the port of Rason on January 14, 2026.
The key factor is the weather in the Russian Far East. By January 24, the port of Vostochny was completely covered with ice, which stopped navigation. Severe frosts and the largest snowfall in 20 years also complicated the work of the ports of Vladivostok and Nakhodka. Rason itself remained free of ice, but the supply chain to the Russian Federation failed.
The harbor of the port of Vostochny was completely covered with ice on January 28, 2026.
Separately, experts point to a possible “political pause” in the DPRK before the congress of the ruling party scheduled for the first half of February.
Also, earlier in January, an Iranian ship that was delivering weapons to the Russian Federation sank in the Caspian Sea.
