Escalating threat: Russia increasingly uses North Korean ballistic missiles in Ukraine
As of 7 February 2024, the Russians have launched at least 24 North Korean ballistic missiles in Ukraine, according to Greenwich Times. They've utilised these to perform 12 strikes across seven regions of the embattled country. Ukraine's Attorney General, Andrij Kostin, provided this information to the Reuters agency. Kostin underscored the uncertainty surrounding the "accuracy of North Korean missiles." Still, they have already resulted in a minimum of 14 civilian fatalities and around 70 injuries.
The instances of such weaponry being deployed by the Russians are escalating rapidly. The first confirmed use of a ballistic missile in Ukraine occurred on 2 January 2024. Experts agree this poses new and significant dangers to Ukraine.
North Korean ballistic missiles in Ukraine
"If North Korea commences large-scale testing and shipment of various types of ballistic missiles, it could culminate in a very grave issue. We simply don't have enough Patriot systems to provide coverage across Ukraine's entire territory," explained Ukrainian military expert, Mykhailo Samus.
Findings from international research organisation Conflict Armament Research expose that the KN-23 (alongside possibly similar KN-24) ballistic missiles from North Korea are being delivered to the Russians.
Understanding KN-23 ballistic missiles?
The North Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles are approximately 7.5 metres in length and 0.95 metres in diameter. Their weight is around 3.4 tonnes, with warheads that weigh roughly 0.5 tonnes. These are short-range ballistic missiles. In terms of such weaponry, they can hit targets almost 600 kilometres away. They yield better performance in this capacity than the Russian Iskander. The KN-24 ballistic missiles, which may potentially already be on Ukrainian soil, are slightly smaller than the KN-23, maintaining a similar range though.
Joe Byrne, a specialist from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), highlights the many nations interested in the capabilities of these North Korean ballistic missiles. These nations include not only Ukraine and its NATO allies, but also South Korea and Japan.
"Beyond the Ukrainian battlefield, the performance of these missiles is drawing interest from South Korea and Japan, where military experts aim to decipher the North Korean systems to enhance their own defensive capabilities," says Joe Byrne.
