North Korean artillery: Russia's latest reliance exposed
The press service of the operational-strategic military group "Chortyca" reported the first destruction of a North Korean M-1978 Koksan artillery system. This is also the first confirmed instance of this weapon appearing in the service of Putin's army units fighting in Ukraine.
According to the official communication that accompanies the video recording, the M-1978 Koksan was eliminated in the Luhansk region by drones from the 412th Independent Drone Systems Regiment "Nemesis".
M-1978 Koksan destroyed in Ukraine
The Ukrainians emphasised that this is one of the more dangerous weapons reaching Russia as part of support from North Korea. The M-1978 Koksan is notable primarily for its 170 mm calibre and a large range— with a high-explosive fragmentation shell, it reaches 44 km, but with special ammunition, it can go up to about 60 km. The rate of fire is two rounds within five minutes. A fairly large crew of eight people is also needed to operate the M-1978 Koksan.
"We add another destroyed element of the enemy's military-industrial complex equipment to the Nemesis achievement collection," wrote the Ukrainians from the 412th Independent Drone Systems Regiment "Nemesis".
The Russian army relies on North Korean ammunition
As highlighted by the Ukrainian United24 service, this type of North Korean artillery was first noticed in Russia in the autumn of 2024, when pictures and recordings showed transports of this weapon in Russia. However, much earlier combat use of the M-1978 Koksan is known, noted in the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988).
As reported in January by the head of Ukrainian intelligence, Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, over 120 North Korean artillery systems with a 170 mm calibre have already been delivered to Russia. These are the M-1978 Koksan and the slightly newer and lightly modernised M1989 Koksan, which have been noticed on the front lines with Russians earlier.
According to some experts and analysts, the Russian turn to such reinforcements is a clear signal to the world that they have significant problems with their own artillery. This type of opinion was expressed, among others, by Jarosław Wolski, who also noted that the quality of this North Korean equipment (including its accuracy) may raise doubts, especially since it uses an unusual 170 mm calibre.
As a result, the Russians are becoming even more dependent on ammunition supplies from their ally's resources, and they are already heavily reliant on it. The United24 service reminds us that according to recent reports, over 50 per cent, and on some sections of the front, over 70 per cent, of ammunition and artillery shells used by the Russians come from North Korea.
