Ukrainian soldiers have successfully destroyed a North Korean M-1978 Koksan self-propelled howitzer on the front east, the first time such a weapon has been destroyed in the nearly three-year war against Russia, the military in Ukraine said Tuesday.
The Khortytsia or East battalion of Ukrainian forces said a Nemesis drone unit from the 412th separate regiment detected and wrecked the little-seen 170mm gun system in the Luhansk region. One video uploaded to Telegram recorded when the howitzer was struck.
The Koksan artillery were first seen since the war commenced in October 2024, the statement noted. Reuters has not been able to verify independently the report.
Luhansk, which remains largely under Russian control, was among the four Ukrainian regions Moscow annexed in 2022, steps adamantly criticized by Ukraine and the West as illegal.
Ukrainian intelligence and Western military analysts report that up to 12,000 North Korean troops have been deployed in Russia’s Kursk region to support Russian troops. Equipment delivered by Pyongyang has also been seen on the front lines.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy threatened last week that Russia could be getting ready to send another 3,000 North Korean troops to Kursk, where Ukrainian forces continue to hold ground following a border crossing more than six months ago.
Russia’s utilization of North Korean military assets has concerned Ukraine and its Western allies, raising questions about Moscow’s growing reliance on foreign support in its ongoing war effort.
