Yomiuri Shimbun Analysis Finds North Korean Self-propelled Artillery Deployed in Russia; Vehicles Show Signs of Movement (UPDATE 1)

A North Korean 170mm self-propelled artillery gun
12:43 JST, April 20, 2025 (updated at 13:00 JST, April 22)
The Yomiuri Shimbun’s analysis of satellite images involving Russia’s aggression in Ukraine has found North Korean 170mm self-propelled artillery systems were deployed at a base in Russian territory near the border with Ukraine.
North Korea has been providing weapons to Russia. The findings unveiled the North Korean weapons have supported the Russian military’s capabilities to continue its aggression, despite weapon and ammunition shortages on the front lines.
The Yomiuri Shimbun analyzed images taken by a satellite operated by Maxar Technologies Inc., a U.S. space development company, on Nov. 26 last year. The satellite photos are of the Ivanovsky Base in the Saratov Oblast in western Russia.
In the satellite images, two vehicles with features matching the North Korean self-propelled artillery system were confirmed.
The dimensions of the two vehicles, which are 14.9 meters long and 3.27 meters wide, are an apparent match with a North Korean self-propelled artillery system model as listed on the U.S. Army’s website.
North Korean-made self-propelled artillery systems are characterized by longer cannon barrels than those of Russian-made ones. Comparison of lengths of the vehicles and cannon barrels in the satellite images resulted in The Yomiuri Shimbun judging the two to be of North Korean make.
Yu Koizumi, an associate professor of the University of Tokyo’s Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology who is an expert on Russia’s military and security policies, also analyzed the two vehicles and pointed out the high likelihood they are of North Korean make, considering their vehicle body and cannon features.
The Ivanovsky Base is about 450 kilometers from the Ukraine border. The range of the self-propelled artillery is estimated to be roughly between 40 kilometers and 60 kilometers. They are beyond the range of surface-to-surface missiles and other long-range weapons the Ukrainian military uses.
It is assumed the two self-propelled artillery systems have been used mainly in shooting drills.
Traces of crawler tracks are visible around the self-propelled artillery systems, suggesting the two vehicles have actively been moved.
A high-ranking Ukrainian government official presented a view that North Korean self-propelled artillery had already been deployed in battle.
The War Zone, a U.S. military news media website, reported Jan. 22 this year that the head of the Ukrainian defense ministry’s intelligence organization said North Korea had provided 120 self-propelled artillery systems to Russia in the three months prior.
According to Forbes, a U.S. economic news magazine, Russia possessed 2,000 self-propelled artillery systems when the country began its aggression in Ukraine in February 2022. As of around December 2024, more than 800 had been lost in battle.
Additionally, hundreds more were rendered unusable due to a shortage of replacement cannon barrels and other parts.
Ceasefire negotiations are ongoing, mainly between Washington and Moscow, but Russian aggression in Ukraine continues.
It seems Russia has supplemented its supply of firepower on the front lines with self-propelled artillery from North Korea.
Koizumi said, “It is likely North Korea has dispatched its own artillerymen, and it is possible the country is fully participating in the war.”
The 170mm self-propelled artillery system is a weapon model developed by North Korea. Each system is comprised of a self-propelled vehicle with a 170mm cannon.
The system can fire one or two shells in five minutes. North Korea is thought to have deployed many self-propelled artillery systems near the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas to target Seoul, South Korean military and U.S. military stationed in the South.
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