Remember when Russian forces destroyed a North Korean air defense system in Kursk

In January 2025, Russian forces in Kursk reportedly destroyed a powerful North Korean air defense system by accident via a drone strike. This hurt Moscow's allies in the region  but could also spell trouble for Ukraine

While the situation was unclear, at the time what we did know was that North Korean forces deployed a customized Russian-designed Tor air defense system and that it was likely destroyed by a Russian drone strike. 

On January 10th, the pro-Russian Telegram channel Voenacher reported that Russian forces destroyed what it claimed was a “Western-made radar station” somewhere in the Kursk region according to Army Recognition. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @voenacher

Russian forces used a first-person view (FPV) drone against the system. Photo and video evidence of the strike was published by Voenacher. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @voenacher / edited by The Daily Digest

However, Forbes reported that other online analysts revealed the system Russia destroyed wasn’t Western, but rather a North Korean weapon. 

“It took a few days for outside observers to figure out exactly what the Russians blew up in Kursk,” wrote David Axe. According to Polish analyst WarVehicleTracker, the weapon destroyed was a North Korean Tor surface-to-air missile (SAM) system. 

Photo Credit: X @LXSummer1

“It seems that what was originally claimed to be a ‘Western-made radar system,’ is very likely to be a North Korean Tor SAM version on a cab chassis,” WarVehicleTracker said on X alongside republished images of the vehicle in question. 

Photo Credit: X @LXSummer1

WarVehicleTracker went on to explain that it was funny Russia would have destroyed one of their own surface-to-air missile systems and suggested that Russian forces may have been “left in the dark about the arrival” of the North Korean systems. 

Newsweek reported that the Ukrainian military and political analyst Alexander Kovalenk also believed the air defense system Russia destroyed was North Korea. He hinted the situation could suggest that Russia has a problem with its air defenses. 

Kovalenk noted that it is already known that Russia lacked air defense systems and that it is one of Moscow’s “most catastrophically deficient categories.” However, whether or not Russia destroyed one of its key allies' weapons has still not been independently confirmed. 

If the North Korean Tor was the weapon hit by Russia, it would represent another major problem for Ukraine and its allies since it indicates that an unknown supply chain is moving North Korean military equipment from North Korea to Russia and the frontlines in Kursk. 

The transfer of a North Korean Tor to Russia hasn’t been reported by Western or South Korean intelligence, something Kovalenk suggested could mean logistics supply chains between the two nations aren’t being tracked by Western or South Korean intelligence. 

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