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North Korea is producing ballistic missiles for use by Russia against Ukraine faster than previously thought, Jonah Leff, the executive director at the independent Conflict Armament Research (CAR) group, told the U.N. Security Council on Dec. 18.
Leff said that the researchers from his group examined remnants of four North Korean missiles recovered in Ukraine in July and August. One of them had marks showing it was procured in 2024, according to the researcher.
"This is the first public evidence of missiles having been produced in North Korea and then used in Ukraine within a matter of months, not years," Leff said.
North Korea has shaped up to be Russia's leading supporter in its full-scale war against Ukraine, providing not only ballistic missiles and artillery ammunition but also soldiers.
Leff told the U.N. Security Council back in June that his group has "irrefutably" established that Russia is using North Korean missiles against Ukraine.
According to Ukraine's military intelligence, Russian forces have launched at least 60 North Korean ballistic missiles, namely the short-range KN-23/24 model, as of early December.
"Their accuracy, in principle, is not very high. We understand that the technology with which they were manufactured is outdated," Andrii Cherniak, a military intelligence spokesperson, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Leff also said that some of the components found in the missile debris did not originate in North Korea and were produced as early as 2023.
"Despite nearly two decades of sanctions on the DPRK, it has demonstrated this year its ability to produce and supply ballistic missiles for use against Ukraine within just a matter of months," the researcher commented. The DPRK is the official name of North Korea.
"Through CAR's collaborative approach with industry, we have ascertained that these components found in remnants of weapons systems used against Ukraine derived from supplies by third-party distributors, mostly based in East Asia."
Russia has not officially confirmed weapons shipments from North Korea but affirmed a close military and economic relationship with Pyongyang.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a strategic partnership pact in July, and North Korea has subsequently dispatched over 10,000 soldiers to aid Russian forces in the embattled Kursk Oblast.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
