Russia Moves North Korean Koksan Artillery Through Occupied Crimea

26 March, 2025 Koksan self-propelled guns on a train in occupied Crimea. March 2025. Photo credits: Crimean Wind Telegram channel

Russian forces move North Korean M1989 Koksan self-propelled guns and other military equipment via occupied Crimea to the front lines. The Crimean Wind Telegram channel shared a photo of the artillery systems in transit. The military train was spotted at a railway station in northern Crimea.

It carried 7-8 self-propelled artillery systems on flatbed railcars, along with military cargo, including a truck equipped with a crane.

A truck with a crane on a train in occupied Crimea.

March, 2025. Source: Telegram channel "Crimean Wind"

The truck was identified as a Chinese Sinotruk Howo, previously spotted in North Korea during military parades. Its exact purpose remains unclear.

Some sources suggest it could be a transport-loading vehicle for the 240mm M1991 multiple launch rocket system (MLRS). Alternatively, it may be supporting the North Korean M1989 Koksan self-propelled guns, potentially transporting 170mm artillery shells used by the system. North Korean Koksan self-propelled guns have already been documented on the battlefield.

Ukrainian forces have targeted them with various weapons in the Kursk region and eastern Ukraine. Recently, drone operators from Ukraine's 413th Raid Battalion of the Unmanned Systems Forces located and struck a North Korean artillery system in the Donetsk region using a bomber drone. This marked the battalion's fifth confirmed strike on an enemy Koksan self-propelled gun in the past month.

Previously, Ukrainian forces using M142 HIMARS rocket systems destroyed three M1989 Koksan units in a single strike.

The first confirmed Ukrainian attack on a North Korean self-propelled gun occurred on December 18, 2024, in the Luhansk region, and it also involved a bomber drone.

M-1989 Koksan 170-mm self-propelled artillery gun of the North Korean army

The M1989 Koksan is a 40-ton North Korean-made self-propelled artillery system that uses a rare 170mm caliber.

It has an estimated firing range of up to 40 km with conventional shells and up to 60 km with rocket-assisted projectiles.