Russia Expecting Major Heavy Artillery and Missile Reinforcements From North Korea

Ukrainian military intelligence sources have reported that Russia is expected to receive significant new support from North Korean 170mm artillery, rocket artillery and ballistic missile units. North Korean forces’ familiarity with indigenous weapons systems is thought to be highly prized to allow these systems to be deployed quickly, bringing both greater quantities of firepower, and new kinds of capabilities, to the frontlines. Incoming new systems are estimated to include approximately 120 more 170mm self-propelled howitzers, 120 240mm multiple rocket launchers, and 150 KN-23 short range ballistic missile systems. KN-23B missiles were first confirmed to be in use in the Ukrainian theatre in January 2024, with the systems prized for their much larger warheads and longer ranges than the equivalent Russian system the Iskander-M. 170mm howitzers. were first seen in the theatre in November that year, following longstanding predictions that these very large calibre guns could be sent to the frontlines by North Korean units. The howitzer’s estimated 65 kilometre firing range provides it with a significantly longer reach than the much smaller 152mm and 155mm guns Ukraine currently deploys. 

Reports of new artillery and missile units inbound to the theatre follow a claim by Ukrainian Special Operations Forces to have engaged North Korean personnel in Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces launched a large scale offensive in August. It also follows a report by the New York Times, citing a source among high ranking Pentagon officials, that significant North Korean reinforcements were inbound to support Russia’s position in the Kursk region. Preceding the outbreak of full scale hostilities between Russia and Ukraine in February 2022, North Korea fielded a much more diverse ballistic missile arsenal than Russia and artillery and rocket artillery forces that were several times as large. This has allowed it to provide tremendous support for the Russian war effort, with Russia estimated near the end of 2024 to have already received over 6 million artillery rounds from its eastern neighbour.

North Korean weapons systems have often had important advantages over their Russian counterparts, with a notable example being the Bulsae-4 anti tank missile system which was first seen in use in the theatre in August 2024, and introduced a very long 10 kilometre range and top attack capability previously not seen on Russian systems of its kind. Footage has also appeared to show the deployment of North Korean Pukkuksong-2 medium range ballistic missile systems in Russia, which have sufficiently long ranges to strike targets across Europe from continental Russia. Russia has no indigenous equivalent to the system.