North Korean artillery surfaces on Ukraine's front lines
Footage has surfaced on social media showing North Korean M1989 Koksan self-propelled howitzers on the front lines in Ukraine. According to experts, these images signal the increasingly dire state of Russian artillery, depleted by the prolonged war.
"I'm very pleased because it confirms the assumptions about the disastrous state of Russian artillery after almost 3 years of war—due to wear, lack of barrels, and a significant portion of the ammunition," wrote Jarosław Wolski, a Polish defence analyst, on his profile on the X service.
M1989 Koksan on the front in Ukraine
The first reports on the potential introduction of the M1989 Koksan into Russian army service appeared in October 2024. A few weeks later, photos showing the transportation of these howitzers in Russia surfaced online. It was suggested that the Russians were at the "initial familiarization" stage with North Korean artillery and might soon begin using it in combat conditions.
According to information provided by the North Korean regime, the M1989 Koksan is equipped with a 170 mm gun with a barrel length of 50 calibres, allowing for targeting at distances up to approximately 37 miles.
However, this pertains to special ammunition, while the maximum range for conventional explosive shells is approximately 25 miles. While significant, analysts and experts question the technical condition of the North Korean equipment and its accuracy.
An ally Russia can count on
"I've written about Koksans before—in short, a system developed for the terrorist shelling of Seoul. Exotic calibre, not very accurate. It shows the desperation of the Russians that they have to adopt this into their arsenal," Jarosław Wolski wrote.
Simultaneously, the presence of M1989 Koksans in Russia and now on the front lines in Ukraine exemplifies the growing support Pyongyang is providing to Moscow. Initially, this mainly included ammunition, which often turned out to be faulty, but over time, it expanded to include soldiers sent to the Kursk region and heavy military equipment.
It has not been confirmed how many units of the M1989 Koksan have fallen into Russian hands. However, based on photos and footage from transports, it is estimated that there could be as many as 50 of these howitzers.
