HIMARS TIME! Ukrainians Obliterate North Korean Artillery Base! | RFU News

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Today, there are interesting updates from Li-man.

Here, Ukrainian forces finally exposed a major concentration of North Korean artillery systems being pushed toward the front lines in support of Russian operations. Seizing the opportunity, Ukrainians immediately launched a relentless strike campaign, demolishing the North Korean guns one after another before they could shift the tide.

After experiencing Russian artillery fire near their positions, Ukrainian drone operators went on the search to locate the enemy units responsible for it. Through careful surveillance, they managed to discover several North Korean Koksan self-propelled artillery guns responsible for the fire on their positions. Once the location of the Koksan guns was confirmed, Ukrainian kamikaze drones and drone-dropped munitions dismantled their operating bases, and gun after gun was quickly targeted and silenced. As a result, Ukrainian drone operators from the 412th Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Regiment off the bat obliterated four North Korean 170 millimeter Koksan self-propelled guns in a single operation.

At Li-man, the Russian spearhead over the Zherebets river stretches too deep for conventional guns to provide fire support, but too narrow to safeguard any artillery if it’s moved forward into range. Therefore, Russians deployed North Korean Koksan guns with a range of 40 to 60 kilometers, to give their artillery the best survival chance possible, while still providing effective rounds on Ukrainian positions. Unfortunately for Russians it was not enough, and as they became exposed on three sides, their positions were tracked by Ukrainian drones and eliminated nonetheless.

The Koksan, with its supposed long range, was expected to compensate for the absence of the Soviet made 2S7 Pion, which lost the battle against Western-made artillery systems used by Ukraine. Importing artillery of an odd caliber Russia doesn’t even produce shells for created problems however, as munitions had to be distributed from a central point. With Koksan guns now operating way too close near the frontline and exposing themselves at Li-man, Ukrainians were able to down their supply routes, finding these central depots which in turn led them to more North Korean artillery pieces.

The 4 destroyed self-propelled guns near Li-man were just the beginning, as near Pokrovsk, Ukrainians tracked a Type 75 107 millimeter multiple launch rocket system in service with the Russians, appearing for the first time on the Ukrainian battlefield. But its first deployment was immediately its last, as Ukrainian fiber-optic-controlled drones hunted it down and destroyed it before it could even reload, a humiliating debut and immediate write-off.

Also in Donetsk, a Ukrainian SHARK reconnaissance drone had tracked another North Korean Koksan after it had received ammunition to fire, and within minutes, HIMARS rockets tore it apart, annihilating the crew of six along with its ammunition. The blast lit up the horizon, leaving wreckage behind and Russian troops struggling to advance without proper support.

Another Donetsk strike showcased a hunt on a North Korean M1991 multiple rocket launch system, as Ukrainian FPV drones attacked it directly, and when a single drone hit a loaded rocket, the warhead pierced the crew cabin before detonating the entire rack. The result was a catastrophic explosion that destroyed the launcher and its crew in an instant.

To the north, near Dvorichna in the Kharkiv region, another North Korean multiple rocket launch system Type 75 was spotted while attempting to support Russian forces. A Ukrainian drone made short work of it, as its wreckage stands as another testament to Moscow’s inability to use artillery assets long enough to make a meaningful impact on the battlefield.

Overall, the pattern with North Korean artillery in Russian hands is undeniable and becoming more of a liability than an asset. Slow reload times, inadequate camouflage, and foreign-caliber dependence make them easy prey for Ukrainian strike operations. Analysts estimate Russia received around 120 Koksans from North Korea since late 2024, but with losses accelerating and maintenance bottlenecks mounting, their battlefield life expectancy is shrinking fast. Just as the 2S7 Pion disappeared under relentless attrition, the Koksan too looks destined for extinction. As Ukraine perfects its hunt, Russian assaults will once again be left without the long-range fire support they desperately need.