World
Russia's Friends Keeping the War Going
— 2 mins read
China buys oil at a discount, North Korea sends the shells and troops, and Moscow pays in billions and lost bargaining power
Russia has kept its war in Ukraine running on Chinese money, North Korean shells, and Iranian drones.
When Western sanctions hit after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia turned east. Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said on 14 May 2022 that it was 'hard to predict' how long the West's 'total hybrid war' against Russia would last. Four years on, the results of that pivot are clear.
China buys the oil, and China sets the price
Trade between Russia and China hit a record of about $245 billion in 2024, according to Chinese customs figures reported by Reuters. China is now Russia's biggest trading partner by a wide margin, supplying the electronics, machinery, and vehicles that Western firms no longer sell.
Russia shipped roughly 80% of its 2025 crude exports to just two buyers, China and India, according to trade data reported by Oilprice. A study reported by The Moscow Times found Russia's discounts to Chinese buyers have cost it billions in lost revenue.
The boom has also stopped climbing. Trade slipped to about $228 billion in 2025, according to Chinese customs data.
Shells from Pyongyang, drones from Tehran
North Korea has supplied millions of artillery shells since 2023. Estimates range from four million to more than 12 million rounds, according to analysis by the Council on Foreign Relations. Between 11,000 and 15,000 North Korean troops have deployed to fight for Russia, most visibly in the Kursk region. That figure comes from US, South Korean, and Ukrainian intelligence, and is documented in a public running record of North Korean involvement.
Iran supplied Shahed-type attack drones, with estimates of up to 3,000 delivered, plus the technology for Russia to build its own versions. Ukrainian forces and Western intelligence agencies have confirmed the transfers.
What the friendship does not cover
The 'no limits' partnership Beijing declared with Moscow has firm limits in practice. China has sent no troops, avoided direct military involvement, and capped its support to shield its own firms from secondary US sanctions. Some North Korean munitions have suffered quality problems.
The alternative supply lines mean a longer war.
Russia has used BRICS, which added Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE in 2024, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to argue the world no longer runs through Washington. But its coalition remains narrower and less capable than the alliance ranged against it. NATO has grown, adding Finland and Sweden, while the US has tightened its partnerships across the Indo-Pacific.
Russian state media presents the pivot as a triumphant reordering of the world. Independent analysis points to a pragmatic scramble that keeps the war economy alive while deepening dependence on a single partner.
The alternative supply lines mean a longer war. As of mid-2026, intelligence assessments say Russia still faces attrition on the battlefield and strain at home, with no major new military alliance in sight.
