After a break, the Russian army resumed the use of missile weapons received from North Korea against Ukraine.
Points of attention
- Russian army resumed use of North Korean missiles against Ukraine, causing potential danger and destruction.
- High failure rate of North Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles poses risks of accidental explosions and trajectory deviation.
- Fragmented remains of missiles found in Kyiv region indicate continued use of North Korean weapons by Russia.
- Investigation reveals that North Korean missiles caused casualties and damages in various regions of Ukraine.
- Despite challenges, authorities track and investigate the use of North Korean missiles by the Russian Federation in attacks on Ukraine.
Russia hit Ukraine on July 31 with a missile from North Korea
According to information received by Defense Express from knowledgeable sources, the Russian occupiers used a North Korean-made ballistic missile during a massive attack on Ukraine.
The launch was recorded from the territory of the Russian Federation in the direction of Bila Tserkva, but the missile simply fell on the territory of the Kyiv region, probably after an explosion in the air.
At the crash site of this missile, debris was found with markings, which correspond to the previously discovered remains of ballistic missiles of the KN-23 type, which the Russian Federation used to strike Ukraine in early 2024.
It should be noted that the last recorded case of the Russians using North Korean-made KN-23 ballistic missiles to attack Ukraine was recorded on February 27, 2024.
Thus, it turns out that the Russian invaders resumed the use of long-range missile weapons from the DPRK after a pause that lasted 5 months.
Currently, it is known that the North Korean ballistic missiles, which the Russian Federation received at its disposal for strikes on Ukraine, have warheads with high-explosive equipment, the power of which is up to 1 thousand kg in TNT equivalent. At the same time, the established maximum launch range of these missiles is up to 650 km.
Malfunctions of North Korean missiles
The Prosecutor General's Office told Reuters that the failure rate of missiles from North Korea was quite high.
About half of the North Korean missiles lost their programmed trajectories and exploded in mid-air; in such cases, the wreckage was not removed, the OGP said in a written response to Reuters' request.
In general, North Korea's missiles account for a small share of Russia's strikes on Ukraine.
The last recorded use of the North Korean KN-23 took place on February 27.
In total, North Korea delivered about 50 ballistic missiles to Russia.
The prosecutor's office collected the fragments of 21 rockets, they include three attacks on Kyiv and its suburbs. Others hit Kharkiv, Poltava, Donetsk and Kirovohrad regions.
Missile attacks using this weapon began on December 30, 2023. North Korean missiles killed 24 people, injured 115, and damaged a number of residential buildings and industrial facilities.
About 50 missiles were launched from the western regions of Russia — Belgorod, Voronezh and Kursk.
At the same time, it was noted that more than half of the KN-23 missiles lost their programmed flight path during the flight and probably exploded in the air, since the launch of these missiles was recorded, but their fragments were not found.
