In the latest evidence of burgeoning military ties between Russia and North Korea, Moscow’s military forces have reportedly deployed a North Korean-origin anti-tank missile system codenamed ‘Bulsae-4 M-2018,’ signaling a bigger involvement of Pyongyang in the Ukraine War.
The Bulsae-4 M-2018 self-propelled long-range anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) system was reportedly spotted for the first time by Ukrainian forces somewhere in the Kharkiv region. A Ukrainian reconnaissance drone photographed the vehicle, which has gone viral on social media.
The photo was first posted by the KUP Telegram channel, which also noted that the six-wheeled armored vehicle resembled the North Korean Bulsae-4 M-2018. This is the first evidence of a North Korean armored vehicle in Russian service.
Moreover, while there have been other reports of unidentified ATGMs traveling from North Korea to Russia, this seems to be the first time that the exact type of ATGM has been revealed.
EurAsian Times could not independently verify when the system arrived in Russia, but there is widespread evidence that it was shipped in a recent arms package. In June 2024, South Korea reported that it detected at least 10,000 shipping containers being sent from North Korea to Russia.
The Bulsae-4 launcher is a rotating assembly of eight missile containers fixed to the North Korean M-2010 wheeled armored personnel carrier chassis, which is characterized by its unique 2+4 all-wheel drive arrangement.
