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Russia fired a North Korean missile at Ukraine this year, new research shows.
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The report is the first public evidence that North Korean missiles made in 2024 were used in the war.
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North Korea has supplied Russia with missiles, artillery and other technology as part of an arms deal.
Russia has fired new North Korean missiles produced this year in its attacks on Ukraine, a new report.
Photos of the missile parts, with a production date of 2024, are the latest evidence that an arms deal between Moscow and Pyongyang continues to fuel the war.
The new report was published by Conflict Armament Research, a group that tracks the use of weapons in armed conflict. According to CAR, a Ukrainian field research team documented “the remains of four different North Korean missiles following a series of attacks” reported on July 30, August 5, August 6 and August 18.
One of the missiles bore a marking indicating it was produced in 2024. “This is the first public evidence that missiles produced in North Korea this year are being used in Ukraine,” CAR said.
CAR said the 2024 components, two jet-vane actuators, were discovered among the remains of a missile used in a Russian attack on August 18. The markings read “113,” which translates to 2024 on North Korea’s Juche calendar. CAR said the missile parts were recovered north of Kiev.
Using a missile with parts produced in 2024 indicates a rapid production-to-deployment cycle, meaning North Korea is moving quickly to provide Russia with the weapons it needs for its continued huge barrages on Ukraine.
As CAR noted, “the discovery of a production date of 2024 on one of the missiles indicates that there was a short period between the production of these ballistic missiles and their use in Ukraine.”
The marking also means North Korea can continue to evade tough sanctions to obtain the weapons it needs to build missiles.
CAR’s investigation is the latest indication that Russia is using North Korean weapons in Ukraine. Last fall, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met to discuss a possible arms deal between the two nations. They further strengthened this partnership with a mutual defense pact last May.
South Korea, like the US, has documented large arms shipments from North Korea to Russia since the war began in 2022.
In exchange for sending ballistic missiles and millions of artillery shells to Russia, North Korea may have received food, fuel and possibly the advanced military technologies it wants nuclear-powered submarines, missiles, etc. The details are unclear, however.
The partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang has the US, South Korea, and also China in precarious situations. The South has sent ammunition to support Ukraine through the US and other channels, fueling tensions with Russia, while Beijing worries about losing influence over its neighbour. The arrangement is causing instability.
Read the original article at Company Insider
