Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 18, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 26, 2026
Add as preferred source on Google
Ukrainian forces have destroyed a North Korean howitzer in Luhansk, marking a first in the ongoing conflict with Russia.
(Reuters) - Ukrainian forces have struck and knocked out a North Korean self-propelled howitzer on the eastern front of the nearly three-year-old war with Russia, Ukraine's military said on Tuesday.
A statement by the Khortytsia, or East, group of forces said it was the first time since the start of the conflict that a North Korean М-1978 Koksan howitzer had been hit by a Ukrainian drone.
"In Luhansk region, fighters of the 412th separate regiment of Nemesis drones struck a very rare M-1978 North Korean self-propelled artillery vehicle with a gun caliber of 170 mm," the statement posted on Telegram said.
The post was accompanied by a video showing a military target being blown up, and said the Koksan had first been observed in the war in October 2024. Reuters could not independently confirm the report.
Luhansk region, mostly occupied by Russian forces, is one of four that Russia formally annexed in 2022, moves that Ukraine and its allies have not recognized.
Ukraine and Western military experts say up to 12,000 North Korean troops were deployed in southern Russia's Kursk region alongside Russian forces and have also reported military equipment from Pyongyang being used.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said last week that Russia could send up to 3,000 more North Korean troops to Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces hold a chunk of territory more than six months after launching a cross-border incursion.
(Reporting by Ron Popeski; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
Ukrainian forces knocked out a North Korean self-propelled howitzer, specifically the M-1978 Koksan model.
The Koksan howitzer was first observed in the war in October 2024.
Reports indicate that up to 12,000 North Korean troops are deployed in southern Russia's Kursk region alongside Russian forces.
President Zelenskiy mentioned that Russia could send up to 3,000 more North Korean troops to the Kursk region.
The Luhansk region, along with three others, was formally annexed by Russia in 2022, a move not recognized by Ukraine and its allies.
Explore more articles in the Headlines category
