About half of the approximately three million artillery shells that Russia uses each year in its war against Ukraine come from North Korea, according to The Times. A source of the agency, who cited Western intelligence data, Russia has become dependent on supplies from North Korea after Vladimir Putin visited Pyongyang earlier this year. Western intelligence assesses that many of the North Korean shells may be faulty, but their sheer number allowed Russia to achieve consistent successes on the battlefield. The Times’ source noted that despite this, Russia is suffering significant losses in Ukr…