Ukraine Hits Fifth North Korean Artillery System in a Month

Ukraine has hit its fifth North Korean-supplied artillery system in a month, according to a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, by Kyiv's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF).

The self-propelled gun, one of many supplied to Russia by Pyongyang, was being used in Donetsk, where Moscow's forces have been engaged in prolonged fighting with their Ukrainian counterparts.

Newsweek reached out to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and the North Korean Embassy in the U.K. for comment via email.

Why It Matters

North Korea has played an important role in aiding Russia in its fight against Ukrainian forces. Pyongyang sent more than 100 short-range ballistic missiles to Russia in November 2024, and has also supplied Moscow with artillery shells, self-propelled howitzers and multiple-rocket launchers.

Since October 2024, between 10,000 and 12,000 North Korean troops have also been fighting alongside Russian troops on the front lines, suffering heavy casualties.

What To Know

In their post on X, the USF wrote: "Operators of the 413th 'Raid' Battalion of the Unmanned Systems Forces identified and struck an enemy M-1978 'Koksan' self-propelled gun on the Donetsk front. This marks the fifth such system disabled by the USF units in the past month."

The M-1978 Koksan self-propelled gun consists of a "a long-barreled weapon mounted externally on a tank chassis," according to the Center for International and Strategic Studies' Missile Defense project.

Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU), told the outlet The War Zone that North Korea delivered approximately 120 of the self-propelled guns to Russia from November 2024 through January 2025.

Ukraine's USF wrote that the weapon consists of "a 170mm gun capable of firing up to 60 km," which makes it "one of the longest-range barrel artillery systems used by russian forces."

The USF added that since the beginning of the war, 25,000 enemy artillery systems have been destroyed and that "due to a shortage of barrel artillery, the russian army is increasingly deploying 'Koksans' supplied by North Korea."

On March 18, Ukraine's 14th Separate Airborne Assault Rifle Regiment reported that they identified and targeted three Koksans in Kursk in a post on Telegram. Kyiv's forces wrote that they used High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to damage the self-propelled guns.

Ukraine's USF is a branch of the country's armed forces that specialize in employing unmanned aerial, surface, subsurface and ground systems and robotics in combat operations, according to their website.

What People Are Saying

In a post on X, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine wrote: "Another Koksan artillery system was destroyed by the warriors from 413th UAS Battalion. The artillery from North Korea burn just as well as russian ones."

Oleksandr Syrskyi, the Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, wrote about Kyiv's efforts to destroy Russian equipment on X: "Thanks to the coordinated combat work of our defenders, more than one and a half thousand (1,609) enemy armored combat vehicles and 748 tanks have been neutralized since the beginning of the year. Thank you to our soldiers! The Ukrainian Defense Forces continue to destroy the occupiers and their equipment. Glory to Ukraine!"