North Korean soldiers in Russia: Captured gear raises concerns
Ukrainian special unit operators showcase trophies captured from North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region. The surprising elements here are not only the AK-12 rifle but also the 1PN139-1 thermal sight. We present the performance of this compelling combination.
It is estimated that about 12,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia, which, at the current rate of losses, suggests the North Korean forces may be depleted by mid-April. Despite their straightforward tactics, their strong motivation still makes them a significant threat.
Elite units have reached Ukraine, equipped with the latest gear from North Korea and advanced weapons from Russia, including AK-12 rifles. This marks the second instance of Ukrainians capturing this weapon from North Korean soldiers, but the first time featuring a rifle with a 1P87 collimator sight and the presence of the 1PN139-1 thermal sight. This equipment, combined with the almost fanatical motivation and good shooting training of the North Korean soldiers, is more dangerous than it seems.
Advanced optoelectronics — gadgets that make a difference
In recent years, optical or optoelectronic sights have become so affordable that they are popular in many of the world's armed forces and are the norm in elite units.
The basics are collimator or holographic sights, which, though they do not provide magnification, significantly speed up the aiming process and do not limit the field of view as traditional mechanical sights do. Furthermore, they are easier to learn to shoot with because there’s no need to manually align components, just a dot or another aiming mark.
1P87 collimator sights, produced by Jupiter Plant JSC, were first noticed in Russia in 2016 and are still not widely available. Meanwhile, the third-generation 1PN139-1 thermal sight is a rare advancement developed under the RATNIK program. According to Ukrainians assessing captured units, they can detect a person at a distance of about 0.6 miles.
AK-12 rifle — a modernization failure of Kalashnikov
The AK-12 entered service in the Russian armed forces in 2018 as an upgrade of the older AK-74M version, intended to meet modern military needs. New features included sights, a top mounting rail, and polymer handguards with rail segments for mounting additional accessories such as optical sights, flashlights, or laser sights.
Additionally, the AK-12 received a new folding stock with adjustable length. The flash suppressor, which also functions as a compensator, became compatible with a sound suppressor, and the fire selector was expanded with a two-round burst mode.
Many soldiers criticized the AK-12, leading to a revision labeled AK-12M1, introduced in 2023. The most notable change was the addition of a new safety selector lever and removing the two-round burst mode.
Furthermore, the Russians modified the dust cover mount to ensure that optical sights mounted there would be more stable and wouldn’t require re-zeroing after each weapon assembly. The weapon was also equipped with a new folding stock with an adjustable cheek pad. It is not a revolution and is still essentially an AK-74M enriched with polymer enhancements, making it slightly heavier.
