In a curious friendly fire incident involving a Russian drone, the presence of North Korean anti-aircraft systems in Russia was revealed. The event, recently published on social media, exposed that Pyongyang’s assistance to Moscow has also included air defense systems, in addition to ammunition, artillery pieces, and soldiers.
From the sequences and images shared on social media, what appears to be a North Korean air defense system can be observed, a development that bears similarities to the Russian Tor model. Regarding the incident, it seems the Russian drone operator was unaware of the deployment of this type of system near their own lines in Kursk, and the system was mistakenly identified as Western-made equipment.
However, a detailed analysis of the sequence and images indicates that the system in question corresponds to a North Korean model with no known official designation. While it shows similarities to the Russian Tor system (such as the launcher configuration), the system in question is mounted on a wheeled platform with a 6×6 tractor truck.
This friendly fire incident unveils another aspect of North Korea’s support for Moscow. Although intelligence reports and images had confirmed the delivery of ammunition, artillery pieces, and ballistic missiles by Pyongyang’s regime, there were no prior records of the transfer of air defense systems.
While this could involve equipment organically deployed to support North Korean ground forces fighting on the Kursk front, it might also represent a transfer intended to replace Russia’s significant losses in air defense systems. Independent reports like Oryx indicate that Russia has lost nearly 300 surface-to-air missile systems, including those destroyed, damaged, abandoned, or captured.
A few days ago, the Ukrainian Navy managed to destroy or damage two short-range Pantsir S1 systems and one Osa system. In this case, the attack was carried out using FPV drones launched from unmanned maritime vehicles, marking a new milestone in the development and combat application of this technology. Previously, Ukrainian forces had achieved other victories by downing Mi-8 helicopters using air-to-air missiles adapted to naval drones.
The presence of this North Korean air defense system also demonstrates Pyongyang’s greater involvement, which has gained attention with the deployment of at least 12,000 troops. The presence of North Korean forces in Russia was reported by Kyiv several weeks ago, with confirmed battles and the capture of the first prisoners of war. Ukrainian and Western reports indicated that the North Korean contingent has suffered between 1,000 and 3,000 casualties since its arrival at the Kursk front, further highlighting the high attrition rate faced by Moscow’s forces in their efforts to reclaim territory occupied for several months by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
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