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North Korea May Have Enough Nuclear Material for 90 Warheads With Russian Support, US Report Reveals

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Vlad Litnarovych
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North Korea May Have Enough Nuclear Material for 90 Warheads With Russian Support, US Report Reveals
North Korean intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile during the drills. (Source: KCNA)

North Korea has rapidly expanded its nuclear weapons program and may now possess enough fissile material to build as many as 90 warheads, according to a newly released report by the US Congressional Research Service (CRS), published on May 23.

The report also estimates that the regime has already assembled approximately 50 of them—more than double previous US assessments from 2023 and 2024, which placed the figure between 20 and 60.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un spectates the launch of the North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). (Source: KCNA)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un spectates the launch of the North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). (Source: KCNA)

The CRS attributes this accelerated progress to growing technical assistance from Russia, which has reportedly expanded significantly in return for North Korean weapons and even troops.

US intelligence officials believe that Moscow’s support has not only helped Pyongyang improve its nuclear capabilities but also speed up testing and deployment efforts.

“The support from Russia is allowing North Korea to advance its weapons of mass destruction programs faster than we’ve seen in the past,” said General Xavier Branson, commander of US Forces Korea, in recent congressional testimony.

He warned that continued cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang over the next 3–5 years could boost North Korea’s ability to produce and deploy nuclear weapons.

The Department of Defense has confirmed that North Korea has fully restored the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, which it had dismantled in 2018 as a diplomatic gesture during denuclearization talks with the United States. US analysts now believe Pyongyang is ready to conduct a seventh nuclear test at any time.

North Korea’s nuclear material production is also expanding. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), secret uranium enrichment sites are operating at Kangson and Yongbyon. The facilities have undergone significant modernization and expansion, says Suwon Choe, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA).

The CRS report aligns with the US intelligence community’s 2025 Annual Threat Assessment, which states that Kim Jong-un views nuclear weapons as the cornerstone of regime survival. North Korea is reportedly pursuing both strategic and tactical nuclear weapons, including solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) with multiple warheads, submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and battlefield nukes.

Earlier, North Korea revealed a new missile that could extend MiG-29 strike reach. South Korea’s military is weighing whether North Korea’s brand-new air-to-air missile—and a batch of retrofit “smart” bombs showcased in drills last week—owes more to Russian know-how than to Pyongyang’s labs.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un witnessed the firing during an inspection of the 1st Guards Air Division, where a MiG-29 fighter carried out the live-fire drill.

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