Direct proof of use
The M-1991 appeared in Russian service after North Korea transferred 240 mm multiple rocket launch systems to Russia for the war against Ukraine. South Korea's National Intelligence Service told lawmakers in November 2024 that North Korea had exported 240 mm multiple rocket launch systems to Russia, and Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov later told The War Zone that North Korea had provided about 120 M-1991 240 mm systems to Russia.
Budanov described most of the North Korean artillery systems as either being used against Ukrainian troops or used for training in Russia. NK News reported in May 2025 that video had emerged of an apparent North Korean 240 mm M1991 launcher firing rockets in the Ukraine war, and Ukrainian military-linked reports later documented Ukrainian strikes on M1991 launchers in Donetsk-region fighting and occupied territory.
Sources: AP North Korean Artillery Transfer, The War Zone Budanov Interview, NK News First Firing Footage, NV M1991 Destroyed, ArmyInform Madyar Strike Results
Timeline
The public record moved from transfer reporting in late 2024 to explicit M-1991 reporting and visual evidence in 2025. The first major transfer reports identified North Korean 240 mm multiple rocket launch systems as part of Pyongyang's support to Russia. By January 2025, Budanov named the M-1991 and gave an estimate of about 120 systems delivered.
In May 2025, NK News reported the first footage of Russian forces using an apparent North Korean 240 mm M1991 launcher against Ukraine. In June 2025, Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces reporting, summarized by The New Voice of Ukraine and United24 Media, described the destruction of an M1991 near the Novopavlivka direction. In January 2026, ArmyInform reported that Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces hit a North Korean M-1991 240 mm MLRS during strikes in temporarily occupied territory.
Sources: AP North Korean Artillery Transfer, The War Zone Budanov Interview, NK News First Firing Footage, NV M1991 Destroyed, United24 June M1991 Strike, ArmyInform Madyar Strike Results
Battlefield role
In this conflict, the M-1991 is documented as a Russian-side heavy rocket-artillery system supplied by North Korea. The War Zone quoted Budanov saying the 240 mm MLRS created additional problems on the front line, while CSIS describes the M1985/M1991 family as unguided, road-mobile 240 mm rocket artillery with an estimated 40-60 km range.
The available public evidence supports a fire-support and long-range strike role rather than a precisely mapped list of fire missions. Reported incidents include Russian possession and firing footage, Ukrainian destruction of a launcher near the Novopavlivka direction in Donetsk region, and a later Ukrainian strike report listing a North Korean M-1991 among targets hit in occupied territory.
Sources: The War Zone Budanov Interview, CSIS M1985 M1991, NK News First Firing Footage, NV M1991 Destroyed, ArmyInform Madyar Strike Results
