The Russian Federation received a significant number of long-range missile and artillery systems from North Korea, which are already in use in the Kursk region. In addition, the North Korean military participates in the battles against Ukraine.
Points of attention
- Russia received a significant number of long-range missile and artillery systems from the DPRK.
- Modernized systems are capable of hitting targets at a distance of more than 60 km and using high-precision ammunition.
- Cooperation between North Korea and Russia could have serious implications for regional security.
- Russian troops have already begun to master the artillery systems transferred from the DPRK.
- M1989 Koksan is a conventional name for a North Korean self-propelled artillery system that can be used in combat conditions.
What weapons did Russia receive from the DPRK?
According to Ukrainian intelligence, in recent weeks the DPRK has transmitted:
50 self-propelled howitzers M1989 "Koksan" caliber 170 mm.
20 upgraded 240 mm rocket launchers (RCLS) that can use both conventional and guided missiles.
These systems are capable of hitting targets at a distance of more than 60 km. Modernized anti-aircraft guns are based on the Soviet BM-27 "Uragan". Pyongyang claimed that their weapons were equipped with high-precision ammunition.
As a high-ranking Ukrainian official said, North Korea wants to test its weapons in real combat conditions.
Michael Kofman, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, believes that North Korea is increasing its involvement in the war. It not only supplies Russia with weapons, but can also become a direct party in the war.
According to him, this cooperation is aimed at supporting the Russian troops, which continue fighting in the region.
North Korea supplies Koksan artillery systems to Russia
A photo of the transportation of at least one M-1989 Koksan type self-propelled artillery installation of the DPRK, which is most likely already taking place on the territory of Russia, appeared on social networks.
One picture alone does not allow us to judge at this time the scale of the possible transfer of such self-propelled guns to the Russian troops. Although the approximate number of M-1989 Koksan available to the North Korean regime is not known.
However, in mid-October, the Russian military announced that it had begun to master North Korean self-propelled guns of an unnamed type at the base of the Higher Artillery Command School (VAKU) in Saratov.
That is, with a certain probability, the military of the Russian Federation could by this time have already passed the stage of "initial familiarization" with the artillery of their "colleagues" in the DPRK, and therefore may be quite close to being ready to use such weapons in practice.
M1989 Koksan is the conventional name of the North Korean 40-ton self-propelled artillery system, which was first seen at a parade in the city of Koksan in 1989. It is a development of the M1978 installation, which was developed back in the 1970s.
