Oops! Russia Accidently Destroys North Korean Air Defense in Kursk
As Pyongyang’s weapons become increasingly enmeshed in Moscow’s war of aggression, one thing is clear: the real winner here is comedy.
I’ve written in the past about the Russian military’s lack of discipline, commitment, and skill on the battlefield.
In the US Army, we held these three concepts as the foundation of warfighting.
Now, Russia has given us a perfect example of how weakness in (any) one of those results in battlefield losses — in this case, fratricide.
But let’s not get too serious here. This is a funny story — especially if you support Ukraine…
On January 10, 2025, the Russian Telegram channel Voenacher proudly announced yet another “triumph” in its precision warfare campaign, claiming to have obliterated a “Western-made radar station” in the Kursk region using an FPV drone.
What they didn’t mention is that their so-called enemy was actually a North Korean surface-to-air missile (SAM) system.
Yes, — Russia bombed its own ally’s hardware.
[Cue the laugh track]
The misidentified target was none other than the Tor-NK, a North Korean knockoff of Russia’s own Tor system.
First unveiled in Pyongyang during the 75th-anniversary parade of the Workers’ Party of Korea in 2020, this clunky, semi-trailer-mounted SAM was never meant to be a sitting duck for Russian drones.
But alas, the “brilliance” of Russia’s battlefield coordination once again stole the show.
If friendly fire were an Olympic sport, Russia would be in the running for gold. Over the course of its misguided escapade in Ukraine, the Russian military has turned accidental self-sabotage into something of an art form.
While some might call these incidents “tragic errors,” others might see them as proof that Russia’s war machine is so disorganized it could lose a checkers match against itself.
Take September 2023, for example, when a Russian Su-35 fighter jet met its untimely end at the hands of a Russian air defense system near Tokmak.
One of Russia’s prized aircraft, valued at tens of millions of dollars, was blasted out of the sky by its own comrades. It’s the kind of operational blunder that would be hilarious if it weren’t so disastrous. According to reports, confusion over contested airspace led to the incident, proving once again that Russia’s command and control is about as sharp as a marble.
On the ground, things aren’t much better. In August 2024, Russian and Chechen forces engaged in a deadly shootout near Mariupol after what can only be described as a monumental communication failure.
The brawl left 11 people dead, including four Russian soldiers and seven civilians. It seems the Kremlin’s idea of teamwork involves fratricide, collateral damage, and the occasional PR disaster.
And let’s not forget naval operations, where Russia has somehow managed to avoid blowing up its own ships — so far.
However, given the track record of missteps across other domains, it’s only a matter of time before a Russian destroyer mistakes one of its submarines for a Ukrainian vessel — despite Ukraine having no subs.
If anything, the lack of documented naval friendly fire incidents likely reflects an absence of competent naval activity rather than successful coordination.
The root causes of Russia’s friendly fire epidemic are as plentiful as the craters left by their errant bombs.
Low morale and a lack of discipline among troops have created an environment where every shadow looks like an enemy. Combine this jumpiness with inadequate training, and you have a recipe for disaster.
Ukrainian officials have even noted that Russian troops are so trigger-happy, that they’ll fire at anything that moves — including, apparently, their own allies.
Language barriers have also played a role. Reports suggest that North Korean troops, now fighting alongside Russian forces, have killed Russian soldiers due to miscommunication.
When your battlefield allies don’t even speak the same language, mistakes are bound to happen. Unfortunately for Russia, their solution to these issues seems to involve importing more foreign troops and equipment, further complicating an already chaotic situation.
Another glaring issue is the lack of standardized coordination and communication protocols. Russia’s forces often operate in silos, with different units using incompatible systems and strategies.
What’s worse, these siloed Russian commands often compete with each other for resources and recognition. I mean, we’re going well beyond the friendly unit rivalries found in most militaries. In some cases, this is flat-out fratricide.
This has led to scenarios where one hand doesn’t know what the other is doing — sometimes literally. For instance, Russian drone operators, unfamiliar with new North Korean equipment, likely assumed the Tor-NK SAM system was a Western import, leading to its unfortunate demise in the Kursk region.
I can picture the Russian drone operator spotting the juicy target and thinking about all the medals he’s going to get for blowing up an expensive Western air defense system.
“За это я получу столько чертовых медалей!”
Friendly fire incidents aren’t just embarrassing; they’re costly. Each mistake chips away at Russia’s already fragile combat readiness, depleting valuable resources, and undermining morale.
When I was in the infantry, we had a machine gun team in 2nd platoon open fire on 1st platoon with live ammo! It was supposed to be a training exercise but the assistant gunner loaded live 7.62 rounds into the M240B. Granted, it was dark (because we only operated at night in my company), but come on! Live rounds feel totally different from blanks - not to mention the weight difference.
Miraculously, no one was killed or injured. The 50 live rounds exploded right through the metal blank adapter on the end of the barrel and went right through the platoon. When the victim platoon returned to base, they had bullet holes in their clothes and canteens; but no actual injuries.
But back to the Russians…
In their case, friendly fire also highlights glaring weaknesses in command and control structures, painting us a picture of an army that is poorly organized and even more poorly led.
For Russia, these incidents aren’t just operational failures. They’re revealing a military machine that is now struggling to manage even basic battlefield coordination.
For Ukraine, however, these blunders are a silver lining, demonstrating that Russia is often its own worst enemy.
The Tor-NK: North Korea’s Budget SAM on Wheels
The Tor-NK, the star (and victim) of this latest debacle, is North Korea’s attempt to modernize its short-range air defenses. With roots in both the Russian Tor and Chinese HQ-17 systems, it features a semi-trailer design that screams, “I’m not going anywhere fast.”
Its missile configuration is similarly underwhelming, with unknown specs but likely inferior to Russia’s Tor-M2, which carries up to 16 missiles with a 12-kilometer range.
North Korea probably envisioned this system defending against drones and precision strikes, not ending up as target practice for Russian operators mistaking it for a NATO import.
If you squint hard enough, the semi-trailer vaguely resembles Western designs, but only in the same way a Lada “resembles” a Lamborghini.
This Frankenstein’s monster of air defense combines Russian and Chinese tech to create something… well, functional-ish. Mounted on a semi-trailer instead of a tracked chassis, the Tor-NK trades mobility for the dubious advantage of being towable by any vehicle with enough horsepower to drag it around.
Think of it as the IKEA version of a SAM system — affordable, modular, and likely to cause frustration when you try to use it.
The Tor-NK’s radar setup includes an electronically scanned array and an integrated friend-or-foe identification antenna, which, given recent events, might need a software update.
The missiles themselves are housed in the middle of the trailer, a design choice that’s both distinctive and inconvenient. While the system is intended for fixed-site air defense or limited mobility, its semi-trailer configuration makes it a sitting duck for anyone with a quadcopter and half-decent aim.
North Korea’s decision to develop this system reflects its desire to modernize its SHORAD (short-range air defenses), particularly against drones and precision-guided munitions.
Historically reliant on outdated tech like anti-aircraft guns and older SAMs, Pyongyang has been playing catch-up in the air defense game. The Tor-NK’s radio-command guidance technology borrows heavily from Chinese HQ-17 systems, though its actual performance remains as mysterious as the color of Kim Jong Un’s favorite pair of boxer shorts.
The Tor-NK’s appearance in the Kursk region raises several questions.
Is it a prototype being tested under battlefield conditions?
Were Russian soldiers or North Koreans operating it?
Is it a sign of North Korea’s deepening involvement in Russia’s war effort, or just another example of Moscow’s desperation to plug gaps in its battered air defense capabilities?
Whatever the case, the system’s arrival — and immediate destruction — is a reminder of the risks inherent in deploying unfamiliar equipment in a chaotic conflict.
Unlike the more flexible Tor-M2KM, which can be mounted on various platforms, the Tor-NK is a static system with limited adaptability.
Despite their growing alliance, the Russo-NK relationship is as one-sided as a bad BiCupid date.
Russia is rumored to be sending Pyongyang its own high-end air defense systems, possibly even combat aircraft.
While North Korea might benefit from these hand-me-downs, it’s hard to ignore the irony of Russia outsourcing its military needs to a nation whose best warplane is older than the average TikTok user.
And it’s not like Russia has SAMs to spare… To say Russia’s SAM inventory is taking a hit would be an understatement. As of now, they’ve lost 294 SAM systems in Ukraine, including the shiny Tor variants they keep trying to pawn off as invincible.
These losses, totaling nearly $10 billion, show just how poorly Moscow has managed to protect its assets — or differentiate them from its enemies.
In the end, this incident perfectly encapsulates Russia’s military strategy: aim vaguely, fire indiscriminately, and spin every failure into a victory.
For Ukraine, however, the destruction of the Tor-NK is another morale boost, showing that even with North Korean help, Russia can’t seem to get out of its own way.
In the grand scheme, a single Tor-NK might not shift the balance of power, but its cameo in the conflict shows Russia’s ongoing bizarre alliances and desperate measures shaping this war.
One can only imagine the North Korean engineers watching from afar, shaking their heads as their multi-million dollar radar system goes up in smoke thanks to the very people it was meant to assist.
Comedy of errors?
Tragedy of incompetence?
In Russia’s hands, it’s always both.
As Pyongyang’s weapons (and troops) become increasingly enmeshed in Moscow’s floundering campaign, one thing is clear: the real winner here is comedy.
That’s it for today friends.
Слава Україні!
"IKEA version of a SAM system"
Fantastic description Wes 😂. Excellent article as always 👍🏻
Hilarious and tragic. Much like Russia in general.