North Korean artillery underscores Russian desperation in Ukraine
A recording has surfaced on social media showing North Korean M1989 Koksan self-propelled howitzers on the front line in Ukraine. According to some experts, these images are a clear signal to the world and evidence of the deteriorating state of Russian artillery, exhausted by the prolonged war.
"This makes me very happy because it confirms suspicions about the dire state of Russian artillery after almost three years of war - due to wear and lack of barrels and a large portion of ammunition," wrote Jarosław Wolski, a Polish defence analyst, on his X service profile.
M1989 Koksan on the front in Ukraine
The first information about the possibility of introducing the M1989 Koksan into Russian army service appeared in October 2023. A few weeks later, photos showing the transport of this type of howitzer in Russia emerged online. It was then suggested that the Russians were in the "initial familiarisation" phase with North Korean artillery and might soon start using it in combat.
According to information provided by the North Korean regime, the M1989 Koksan is equipped with a 170 mm calibre gun with a barrel length of 50 calibres, capable of striking targets up to 60 kilometres away.
This, however, applies to special ammunition, while with conventional explosive fragmentation shells, the maximum range is no more than 40 kilometres. This is still considerable, but analysts and experts question the technical condition of North Korean equipment, as well as its accuracy.
An ally Russia can count on
"I've already written about the Koksans - in short - a system developed for the terrorist shelling of Seoul. Exotic calibre, not very accurate. A sign of Russian desperation, that they have to incorporate this into their arsenal," wrote Jarosław Wolski.
At the same time, the appearance of the M1989 Koksan in Russia, and now on the front line in Ukraine, is an example of the growing support Pyongyang provides to Moscow. Initially, this primarily consisted of ammunition, which often proved defective, but over time, it included soldiers sent to the Kursk region and heavy military equipment.
It has not been confirmed how many M1989 Koksans have fallen into Russian hands. Based on photos and recordings from transports, it is estimated that there could be as many as 50 of these howitzers.
