Russian forces have begun utilizing North Korean Type 73 machine guns on the battlefield in Ukraine, marking the first documented instance of North Korean small arms use by Russian troops, the Ukrainian defense publication Militarnyi reports.

The Russian propaganda channel on Telegram, Voevoda Veshchaet, first released photos of the weapons on 7 November 2024, which analysts suggest may be intended for North Korean contingents recently deployed within Russian units to the combat zone.

Militarnyi questions the logic behind Russia’s adoption of these weapons, given the country’s domestic production of machine guns and immense stockpiles of Soviet-era PKM and PK models. The move likely stems from recent agreements between Russia and North Korea for weapons procurement – not out of desperation on Moscow’s behalf.

However, Defense Express suggests the machine guns are in fact supplied via Iran, indicating Russia’s reliance on a different strategic partnership.

The Type 73 was distributed far beyond the Korean peninsula and was seen during the Iran-Iraq wars, and later with various groups in the Middle East – notably in conflicts in Iran and Yemen.

According to Defense Express, North Korean armed forces are replacing the Type-73 with the newer Type-80, indicating a motive for Pyongyang to donate the machine guns.

Regardless of the home country of these machine guns, it highlights both Russia’s reliance on new strategic partners and non-traditional sources for weapons in frontline service.

Related:

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• North Korean arms transfers to Russia estimated over 500,000 artillery rounds in two months, OSINT group says
• North Korea’s secret arms shipment to Russia exposed by South Korean intel