Rare artillery boost: North Korean D‑74s in Russian army
The Russian army has been equipped with rare D-74 guns, whose production ended many years ago. Additionally, these guns have not been seen in Russian warehouses for quite some time. This suggests that the D-74 guns are part of the growing support Russia is receiving from North Korea.
This unusual Russian weapon has caught the attention of several analysts, including Ukrainian expert Oleksandr Kovalenko. On his profile on the Telegram service, he published photos of D-74 guns used by Russians against Ukrainians and compared them with old photographs from Russian warehouses.
D-74 guns in the service of the Russian army
"The differences lie in the details that do not initially catch the eye, but they are there. They are most evident in the wheels. In photo number 3, I posted a Soviet D-74 with distinctly different wheel shapes and tire ribs. Therefore, we can confidently add the D-74 to the list of weapons provided to Russia by North Korea, which none of our partners have officially announced yet. Although suspicions that such a rare weapon found its way into the Russian army not from its reserves, but from the DPRK, appeared already in 2024," explains Oleksandr Kovalenko.
The Ukrainian analyst adds that the weapon in question was developed between 1947 and 1950, but by 1960, it was being withdrawn from the Soviet army's arsenal and sold to other countries. This led to the D-74 arsenal being reduced to a minimum even during the USSR's times. According to the 2023 Military Balance report, in 2023, the Russian army did not possess any D-74 guns.
Russians may have never seen this weapon
Nevertheless, Russia is unlikely to run out of ammunition. The countries to which these guns were delivered localized their production and were able to supply ammunition as well as the weapons themselves. In this case, the Russians are using North Korean OF-472 shells (cal. 122 mm), with a range of approximately 12 miles.
Kovalenko, however, notes that the D-74 guns are a weapon that the vast majority of Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine may never have encountered. This raises questions about their usefulness, especially since weapons and ammunition from North Korea often turn out to be defective, which Russians themselves have repeatedly emphasized.
"The D-74 is a unique artillery cannon that not every experienced artilleryman has encountered in their career," writes the Ukrainian analyst.
Russia's biggest ally
Initially, North Korea provided Russia with artillery ammunition. As the months of the war in Ukraine passed, the military support flowing from North Korea to Putin's army began to include weapons as well.
Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, reported that in 2024, Pyongyang delivered to Moscow about 120 M1989 "Koksan" artillery systems, 120 M-1991 multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) with a caliber of 240 mm, and nearly 150 short-range ballistic missiles KN-23. This is in addition to the deployment of North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region.
