Reaching the rows of Moscow are also more weapons and ammunition
The war in Ukraine may be about to enter a new phase and change its tone. According to the German broadcaster, Russia began transferring long-range artillery systems provided by North Korea to Crimea, Ukrainian territory attached by the Russian Federation in 2014. This is a significant escalation of military collaboration between Moscow and Pyongyang, and a clear indication that North Korean involvement in the conflict may be about to expand dramatically.
Images released online on March 26 show North Korean self-propelled cannons Koksan to be transported by train through northern Crimea. These 170mm guns are considered the most powerful in the world in terms of range: they can reach targets 40 kilometers with conventional ammunition and up to 60 kilometers with rocket -assisted projectiles.
So far, the North Korean military had only been spotted in the Kursk Russian region, next to the Ukraine border, where Moscow launched a counterfensive in August 2024. However, with recent advances from Russia in that zone, Pyongyang sources can now displace troops to Crimea, where they will reach strategic positions. Ukrainian in the South – namely in the regions of Kherson and Zaporizehzia.
Western military analysts warn of the royal threat that the Koksan represent if they are positioned in Zaporizehzia, partially controlled by Russia. Its firepower can change balance in the south of the country, making Ukrainian resistance even more difficult.
According to the ZDF, North Korea will have already supplied to Russia up to 200 of these artillery pieces – five of which were destroyed by Ukrainian drones during the Kursk campaign. In addition, Pyongyang sent a significant military contingent: about 11,000 North Korean soldiers were confirmed on the ground in. It is estimated that four thousand have been killed or injured, but by 2025 North Korea reinforced its presence with another three thousand military personnel.
However, Kim Jong-un support Vladimir Putin goes far beyond human strength. Pyongyang is supplying Moscow with a vast arsenal that includes short -range ballistic missiles, self -propelled artillery systems and more than 200 multiple rocket launchers.
This intensified military alliance gained a new breath after Putin’s visit to Pyongyang in the summer of 2024. At that time, the two leaders signed a strategic partnership agreement that provides for mutual support in case of attack on any of the countries. More recently, last March, the head of the Russian Security Council, Sergei Shoigu, was in the North Korean capital, where Kim Jong-un reaffirmed his “total support” alongside the Russian side of the conflict in Ukraine.
The international community assists with growing concern for this approach. Experts warn that this Moscow-Pyongyang axis threatens not only to prolong the war, but also to compromise the efforts of international sanctions aimed at locking the military ambitions of both.
