Ukrainian forces hit a weird North Korean weapon for the very first time

Ukrainian forces claim they have hit a powerful North Korean artillery system for the first time. The news comes just months after North Korea began sending these new artillery systems to its soldiers in Russia. 

On February 18th, combat footage released by the Unmanned Systems Forces’ 412th NEMESIS Regiment showed drone operators from the unit dropping a bomb on a North Korean 170mm M1989 Koksan self-propelled artillery system.

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Stefan Krasowski, CC BY 2.0

“We are accepting another Wunderwaffe of the enemy military-industrial complex into the collection of Nemesis achievements,” the regiment explained on Telegram, citing a German term for the word wonder weapon according to Forbes. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @nemesis_412

The M1989 was reportedly hit during a night strike in Luhansk Oblast according to a report from Forbes, which noted that this particular North Korean artillery gun can “lob shells weighing 100 pounds or more at least 25 miles [40 kilometers].”

Photo Credit: Telegram @nemesis_412

Drone operators from the 412th Unmanned Strike Aviation Battalion, which goes by the nickname Nemesis Battalion, spotted the North Korean artillery gun thanks to its telltale heat signature. The cold night made the gun easy to see. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @nemesis_412

Forbes reported that the artillery system’s crew scattered when the Nemesis Battalion’s drone showed up. The drone dropped bombs on the artillery gun but it is unclear from the footage if the M1989 artillery system was destroyed. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @nemesis_412

"For the first time since the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war, a North Korean Koksan self-propelled artillery system has been struck," a statement about the attack from the Khortytsia Operational-Strategic Grouping of Troops explained on Telegram according to RBC-Ukraine. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @nemesis_412

According to Army Recognition, the North Korean M1989 Koksan was designed to be a long-range artillery system and is known for its “remarkable range.” The gun first entered service in 1989, making it a fairly older weapon. 

“The M1989’s range and firepower make it ideal for counter-battery operations and strategic bombardment. It can engage enemy artillery and critical infrastructure targets from a safe distance,” Army Recognition explained. 

“This capability supports broader ground operations by providing effective rear-line fire support and long-range bombardment, typically in artillery batteries for concentrated fire missions,” Army Recognition continued. 

In January 2025, the head of Ukraine's intelligence, Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov revealed that North Korea had sent roughly 120 M1989s to Russia and was expected to send more of the artillery systems to Russia in the future. 

“The 170 mm weapons have powerful ammunition and good capability,” Budanov told The War Zone about North Korea’s M1989 Koksan artillery guns.

It’s important to note that even though this was the first time that Ukrainian forces hit an M1989 on the battlefield, this wasn’t the most interesting aspect of the attack. The drone strike revealed something interesting about North Korea’s support. 

“That a North Korean howitzer was in the Kupyansk area seems to confirm that the heavy weaponry Pyongyang has pledged to Moscow isn’t just supporting the North Korean 11th Army Corps,” wrote David Axe of Forbes. 

Axe went on to explain that North Korea has deployed its roughly 12,000 troops to the west in Russia’s Kursk Oblast and that it was important that this artillery system was supporting Russian field armies in eastern Ukraine. 

The Ukrainian military news website Militarnyi reported that images taken in November and December 2024 spotted groups of M1989s being moved across Russia by rail, and that the artillery gun was first spotted in Ukraine in January 2025. 

Never miss a story! Click here to follow The Daily Digest.

Photo Credit: Telegram @exilenova_plus