North Korean military systems in Russia: new challenges for Ukraine

The first 122mm M-2023 multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) have arrived in Russia.

Recently, the M1985/M1991 MLRS – 240mm systems – were verified in Russia. While this is a specific caliber for Russia, it helps to offset the severe and even critical shortage of “Uragan” and “Smerch” MLRS systems.

Additionally, there have been initial confirmations of North Korean 170mm M1989 Koksan self-propelled artillery systems being used in the Lyman direction. These systems compensate for the acute shortage of long-range self-propelled guns like the 2S7 “Pion” and 2S4 “Tulip” mortars.

The appearance of the 122mm M-2023 MLRS in Russia suggests a sharp deficit in BM-21 “Grad” systems and the inability to compensate for this category of rocket artillery through domestic production or restoration.

It is worth noting that, unlike many other types of North Korean military equipment, the M-2023 is disguised as a civilian cargo van.

Ukraine has become the first country in the world not only to face North Korean military equipment in direct combat but also to serve as a testing ground for North Korea’s military-industrial complex’s so-called wunderwaffe. For more than half a century, neither South Korea nor any other country in the region has faced such challenges.

The reaction? In my opinion, extremely mediocre.

Alexander Kovalenko