North Korea is expected to send reinforcements to the Kursk region of Russia, mainly missile and artillery troops, as well as KN-23 short-range ballistic missiles. The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Kirill Budanov, said this in an interview with The War Zone, UNN reports.
We do not expect to see many new ground combat units,
He also noted that the new North Korean troops will strengthen Russia's long-range artillery capabilities.
Over the past three months, North Korea has delivered nearly 120 M1989 Koksan 170mm self-propelled artillery systems and 120 M-1991 240mm multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) to Russia, and is likely to deliver many more in the future. They have a lot of these systems,
The publication emphasizes that the Koksan is equipped with a 170-mm cannon mounted in an open superstructure; the M1989 version also has an onboard storage device for 12 rounds of ammunition. The main advantage of the gun is its long range: it is estimated that the 170-mm gun can fire a standard round to a range of almost 40 km or a rocket-propelled round to a range of up to 60 km.
Most of these weapons are used either against troops in Ukraine or for training in Russia, Budanov said.
"The 170-mm guns have powerful ammunition and good capabilities," the DIU chief said. "The 240-mm MLRSs are the same heavy systems as all the others. They create more problems on the front line.
It is emphasized that the DPRK is expected to send another 150 KN-23 short-range ballistic missiles to Moscow in 2025, Budanov said, adding that last year 148 were sent.
North Korean troops and weapons exacerbate the problems Ukraine faces both in Kursk and at home. While differences in language and doctrine reduce their effectiveness, the sheer size of the North Korean forces forces Ukraine to expend ammunition and defend positions it might not otherwise have to take.
At the same time, the head of Ukrainian intelligence is not impressed with the effectiveness of the DPRK infantry.
They look like biological robots,
The DPRK lost about a thousand soldiers in the Kursk region of Russia23.01.25, 02:42