Confirming the speculations that emerged in June following a report by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) regarding the delivery of these systems, Ukrainian intelligence has warned that North Korea now possesses the first Pantsir-S1 air defense systems transferred by Russia, stating that they have already been deployed to defend Pyongyang’s airspace. The revelation was made by Kyrylo Budanov, current head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), during a radio interview with a local station.
Quoting some of his own official statements: “I can tell you that, for example, the first Pantsir-S1 installations have already appeared in Pyongyang (…) They are already on combat duty there, protecting their capital. And the Russians are re-training North Korean personnel, and soon the Koreans will be operating this technology independently.”
It is worth highlighting that with the arrival of the new Pantsir-S1 system, North Korea takes a significant leap in its air defense capabilities, which until now had consisted mainly of outdated S-75 and S-125M systems—platforms that have been in service for more than half a century. It should also be mentioned that, according to previous reports, Pyongyang already possessed the Pantsir in its ME variant, which had been integrated into the capabilities of the new “Choe Hyon” missile destroyer of the North Korean Navy, also supplied by Moscow.
Furthermore, it is important to note that the defense cooperation between the two countries is not limited to the transfer of this type of air defense system but encompasses a much broader range of equipment and technologies that Russia has decided to supply to North Korea as compensation for its support in the invasion of Ukraine. In concrete terms, this North Korean support has taken the form of a deployment of more than 11,000 troops to the Kursk region, D-74 122mm howitzers, Koksan M1989 self-propelled guns, and various types of MRLS rocket launchers to reinforce deployed artillery capabilities—complemented by multiple batches of missiles and ammunition.
In that context, the Pantsir-S1 systems sent by Russia add to the significant boost in efforts to produce Garpiya and Geran drones on a large scale within North Korean territory, aimed at considerably increasing the output of systems that are frequently used in combat—something also highlighted by Budanov in June. Additionally, it has been reported that Moscow carried out a major modernization of the KN-23 missiles, whose lack of accuracy had repeatedly demonstrated the need for such upgrades in combat.
*Images used for illustrative purposes only
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