Artillery shortage forces Russians to deploy improvised weapons, expert says

Russian forces face critical artillery shortage, resort to mounting BMP guns on carriages while North Korean weapons prove ineffective
russian troops ukraine
Russian troops in Ukraine. Image by Ukrainska Pravda
Artillery shortage forces Russians to deploy improvised weapons, expert says


Russian forces are experiencing a severe shortage of artillery systems on the front line, according to military expert Yevhen Dykyi, who spoke with Radio NV.

In February 2025, the war in Ukraine saw intensified Russian offensive operations, particularly near Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast. Ukrainian forces have also conducted counterattacks and recently advanced near Toretsk.

"This explains their use of North Korean artillery, which, fortunately, offers little advantage. It dates back to the 1940s-1950s—powerful but slow and unwieldy. In this war, survival depends on quickly evading drones, and North Korean guns simply don’t help," Dykyi noted.

He noted that Russia is looking for ways to address this issue, which is why videos have surfaced showing Russian forces mounting infantry fighting vehicle (BMP) cannons onto artillery carriages.

"These makeshift weapons fire at short range with direct aiming. They're useless for offensives or long-range strikes. They're essentially defensive weapons for trench warfare. The fact that Russia is mass-producing them signals that they expect to be on the defensive rather than advancing," he added.

Meanwhile, North Korea continues to supply weapons to Russia. According to South Korea, Pyongyang has delivered around 200 Koksan self-propelled artillery units to Moscow.

These deliveries follow North Korea’s earlier provision of millions of artillery rounds in 2023 and the deployment of over 12,000 troops to Russia.

FT: North Korea sends 50 heavy Koksan howitzers, 20 rocket systems to Russia for Kursk offensive against Ukraine

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