North Korea sends 50 heavy Koksan howitzers, 20 rocket systems to Russia for Kursk offensive against Ukraine

North Korea has delivered long-range artillery systems to Russia’s Kursk Oblast, where Moscow is preparing an assault involving North Korean troops against Ukrainian forces, according to Ukrainian intelligence sources cited by the Financial Times.

These deliveries follow North Korea’s earlier provision of millions of artillery rounds in 2023 and the deployment of over 12,000 troops to Russia.

”In recent weeks, North Korea provided some 50 domestically produced 170mm M1989 Koksan self-propelled howitzers and 20 updated 240mm multiple launch rocket systems that can fire standard rockets and guided ones,” said the source.

The Koksan howitzers, produced in 1989 as upgrades to the 1970s M1979 model, can strike targets up to 60km away. The rocket systems are enhanced versions of the Soviet BM-27 “Uragan” (Hurricane) platform, capable of delivering both cluster munitions and precision-guided rockets. 

Ukrainian officials confirmed the weapons transfer after social media photos showed North Korean howitzers being transported by rail through central Russia’s Krasnoyarsk Krai. Pyongyang reportedly aims to test these weapons in combat conditions.

Russia has assembled 50,000 troops in Kursk Oblast, including North Korean soldiers in Russian uniforms, for an imminent offensive. Ukrainian forces currently hold 600 sq km of the 1,100 sq km of Russian territory they captured there in August.

The deliveries come as Russia has separately gained over 1,200 sq km of territory in eastern Ukraine in recent months, according to Deep State, a Kyiv-based monitoring group. The timing is critical as both sides seek advantages before Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration and his promised push to end the war.

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