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North Korea has supplied Russia with 50 domestically manufactured self-propelled howitzers and 20 multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), according to a Ukrainian intelligence report cited by the Financial Times on Nov. 16. It is also reported that portions of the delivered weaponry, including North Korea’s 170mm M1989 self-propelled howitzers and upgraded 240mm MLRS systems, have been transported to Kursk Oblast to bolster Russia’s efforts to reclaim territory lost to Ukrainian forces earlier this year.
The M1989, produced in 1989, is a self-propelled howitzer artillery with a range of 60 kilometers, while the upgraded rocket system is based on the Soviet BM-27 Uragan system. In May, North Korea said it had successfully tested an updated system with precision-guided munitions. A senior Ukrainian official reportedly told the FT that Pyongyang wants to test the weapons in combat and that some will be used on the battlefield in western Kursk.
This assistance comes as 11,000 North Korean troops gather in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, where they are training alongside Russian forces engaged in the conflict with Ukraine. On Nov. 13, a Pentagon spokesperson confirmed that some North Korean soldiers have already joined Russian forces in combat.
Questions about the reliability of North Korean weaponry have resurfaced, with South Korea’s intelligence agency reporting that Pyongyang previously sent 1970s-era arms to Moscow.
Amid dwindling military stockpiles and reduced domestic production capabilities due to Western sanctions, Russia has increasingly turned to North Korea as a primary arms supplier, receiving substantial military shipments. In June, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik stated that North Korea had already provided Russia with up to 4.8 million artillery shells.
Kyiv and Washington have previously accused Russia of using North Korean-made missiles in its war against Ukraine. Ukrainian prosecutors reported in March that Russia had launched around 50 such missiles targeting six Ukrainian regions since the start of the full-scale invasion.
North Korea’s military support for Russia accelerated following an agreement signed in June during President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Pyongyang. The pact promised mutual aid in the event of an attack, along with other military and humanitarian commitments. On Nov. 12, North Korea formalized a mutual defense treaty with Russia, which Russian lawmakers and President Putin had already approved.
As ties between Moscow and Pyongyang deepen, South Korea’s relationship with Ukraine is also strengthening. On Nov. 7, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol indicated that the country might consider providing arms to Ukraine. However, South Korea has so far limited its support to humanitarian and non-lethal aid, citing legislative constraints.
In response to reports that the U.S. had authorized the use of American long-range missiles against Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky remarked, “Strikes are not carried out with words. Such things are not announced. Missiles will speak for themselves.”
Serhiy Kuzan, head of the Ukrainian Centre for Security and Cooperation, told the BBC that while ATACMS missiles may not “change the course” of the war, “they will balance our forces to a certain extent.”
Kuzan noted that President Biden’s authorization could play a crucial role in countering a significant offensive by Russian and North Korean forces in the Kursk region, an area reclaimed by Ukraine in August.
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