Latest news with #M1991
Daily Mail
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Astonishing moment North Korean missile launcher is destroyed by Ukraine drone - igniting projectile that flies through front of vehicle with crew still inside
This is the astonishing moment a North Korean missile launcher is completely destroyed by a Ukrainian drone while its crew was still inside. The footage released by Ukrainian military shows its projectile tearing through the 240mm calibre multiple rocket launcher (MLRS), known as the M1991, in the village of Novopavlivka. It comes just two months after North Korea confirmed for the first time that it had deployed troops and artillery to fight alongside Russians in Ukraine. Posting the video to social media, the Command of the Unmanned Systems Forces, who specialise in drone warfare in the Ukrainian military, said it had decimated the 'rare' North Korean launcher. They wrote: 'In the Novopavliv direction, operators of the 413th Battalion "Raid" Forces of Unmanned Systems detected and destroyed the reactive system of salvage fire M1991 manufactured by North Korea.' The unit added that the incident occurred in April this year and that it was the first time it had seen such levels of North Korean assistance on the battlefield. In the footage, the drone can be seen approaching the MLRS, which has a range of up to 60 kilometres, before it unleashes the jaw-dropping precision strike in the village around 35 miles away from the city of Zaporizhzhia. The impact then causes the warhead to completely rip through to the crew compartment, where two soldiers appear to jump out the window after somehow escaping the blast. The Command of the Unmanned Systems Forces said it then destroyed 'the entire ammunition'. It is thought that the Russian military had sought to use the M1991 as it was an improvement on its own Uragan 220mm MLRS - as Vladimir Putin continues his invasion of Ukraine. North Korea has proven to be a staunch ally of the Russian President after it provided ballistic missiles, 120 long-range artillery systems and 120 MLRS's to the Kremlin. Those figures, which were announced by Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, represented the most significant direct military package handed to Russia by any country since the war broke out. It was also reported in May that Russia and North Korea had begun building their first road link, with the two countries hailing the construction of a bridge over a border river as a major development that will further expand their political and economic ties. The kilometre-long Tumangang Road bridge, which is expected to take 18 months to construct, aims to expand cross-border travel of people, tourism and circulation of commodities, Russian and North Korean news agencies reported. Before the announcment, both countries simultaneously held a ceremony for the bridge's construction in their respective border cities of Tumangang and Khasan on either side of the Tumen River, close to their existing rail 'Friendship Bridge'. North Korean Premier Pak Thae Song said the bridge's construction would be remembered as 'a historic monument' in bilateral ties, North Korea's KCNA reported. 'This is a big milestone for Russian-Korean relations,' Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin added, according to Russian news agency TASS. 'We are creating a reliable basis for closer cooperation between our two countries, a road for an open and fruitful dialogue.' It came days after Pyongyang confirmed it had sent combat troops to Russia to help it reclaim parts of the Kursk region that Ukrainian forces seized in a stunning incursion last year. Putin thanked North Korea and promised not to forget the sacrifices of its soldiers for Russia. According to a South Korean government intelligence assessment previously shared with lawmakers, North Korea had sent about 15,000 troops to Russia and 4,700 of them have been killed or wounded at that time. State media in North Korea said its fighters had made an 'important contribution' to Russia's war effort by driving Ukrainians out of Russian territory.
Int'l Business Times
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
North Korea Reportedly Sent M1991 Rocket Launchers To Russia For Ukraine War
A Ukrainian journalist has released what appears to be a footage of a North Korean M1991 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) deployed inside Russia. The video, published on the Telegram channel of defense reporter Yuriy Butusov, shows Russian servicemen installing anti-drone shielding on the M1991 rocket launcher inside a hangar. While the location has not been officially confirmed, previous intelligence reports suggest such systems have been transferred from North Korea to western Russia earlier this year. However, HNGN cannot independently verify the video. The M1991 is North Korea's counterpart to Russia's BM-27 Uragan. It's a self-propelled system armed with 22 barrels capable of firing 240mm unguided rockets carrying 90-kilogram (198-pound) warheads. With an effective range of up to 40 miles, the launcher poses a significant threat on the battlefield. In January, multiple sightings were reported of North Korean MLRS units being discreetly moved into Russia, camouflaged as civilian vehicles in the Kursk region. However, this new video is believed to be the first direct visual confirmation of such equipment on Russian territory. Neither the Armed Forces of Ukraine nor the Russian military have issued official statements regarding the video's authenticity or implications. The deployment comes in the wake of a landmark defense agreement signed between Russia and North Korea in June, which commits both countries to mutual military support in the event of external attacks. The pact also includes a pledge to resist Western sanctions on financial systems, goods, and military cooperation. As part of this alliance, North Korea has reportedly sent around 14,000 military personnel to support Russia's efforts in the war against Ukraine. To date, about 1,100 North Korean soldiers have been reported killed or wounded in combat. However, there has been no official confirmation. In return, Moscow is allegedly helping Pyongyang with drone technology, co-developing various models of reconnaissance and loitering munitions—commonly referred to as "suicide drones"—for battlefield use. Originally published on HNGN
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Russia is relying so heavily on North Korea that it's getting 50% of its ammo from Pyongyang, Ukraine's spy chief says
Ukraine's military intelligence chief said North Korea is covering 50% of Russia's war ammo needs. Kyrylo Budanov said it's another sign of how heavily Pyongyang is contributing to the war. His comment also comes as Ukraine has been trying to hit Russia's ammo supply. North Korea is providing Russia with half of the ammunition used by Moscow against Ukraine, the head of Kyiv's military intelligence agency said on Sunday. "They heavily rely on — well, we can now say it — their strategic ally, North Korea, that is covering for practically 50% of Russia's need for munitions," Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine's military intelligence service, told reporters. "Artillery shells, in particular." Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv, Budanov said Pyongyang was also providing Russia with 155mm self-propelled howitzers and multiple-launch rocket systems. He has previously said that these were the M1989 "Koksan" howitzer and the M1991 system. Over the last year, North Korea has increasingly dedicated resources to help Russia sustain its war against Ukraine. It deployed an estimated 11,000 to 12,000 troops in Kursk late last year. Pyongyang's involvement comes as Moscow and Kyiv focus on outlasting each other along the largely stagnant front lines and as Russia digs deep into its economy to maintain recruitment and weapons production. North Korea isn't giving its resources away for free. Its leader, Kim Jong Un, is reported by South Korean intelligence to be receiving technological assistance from Russian experts, as well as food and cash from Moscow. Large-scale ammunition shipments from Pyongyang could especially frustrate Ukraine's effort to exhaust Moscow's supply by targeting factories and depots deep inside Russian territory with drone strikes. Ukraine's military chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said in January that Russia was expending about 40,000 artillery rounds per day, but that the strikes had pushed that count "significantly lower." Meanwhile, the head of Ukraine's foreign intelligence, Oleh Ivashchenko, also said at the Sunday press conference that Russia plans to locally manufacture 7 million artillery rounds and mines in 2025. "Russia clearly understands that it produces more of those than the rest of the European countries together," Ivashchenko said. He added that Russia intends to produce 3,000 long-range precision missiles this year. In comparison, the US is planning to produce 100,000 shells a month by the summer of 2025, or 1.2 million a year. And that's already a ramped-up production cycle. The European Union has said that it hopes to produce 2 million shells in 2025. The Russian Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular business hours. Read the original article on Business Insider
