North Korean missiles resurface in Russian attacks on Kyiv
For the second time in a week, Russians have attacked Ukraine using ballistic missiles originating from North Korea. This time, remnants of such a weapon were found in a forest near Brovary in the Kyiv region.
For a long period, there were no recorded strikes involving North Korean ballistic missiles on Ukrainian locations. Prior to the hiatus, the last documented incident occurred on 27 February this year. However, it has been confirmed that attacks using this weapon have resumed. The Russians used North Korean ballistic missiles during the massive attacks on 31 July and 6 August. These were once again KN-23 ballistic missiles.
KN-23 ballistic missile fell in Ukraine again
Ukrainian military expert Oleg Katkov, on the Espreso TV channel, explained that explosions had been heard a day before in Kyiv. The enemy attacked the capital with ballistic weaponry. The official report from the Air Force states that the Russians attacked Kyiv with Iskander-M missiles. However, according to the information, one of the missiles that fell on the outskirts of Kyiv, in a forest near Brovary, was manufactured in North Korea. It is a KN-23 missile. At the crash site in the forest, remnants with markings characteristic of North Korean missiles were found.
The KN-23 ballistic missile (known as Hwasong-11Ga in North Korea) is a solid-fuel ballistic missile. It is estimated to have a range of up to 650 kilometres. This exceeds the range of Russian Iskanders, to which the KN-23 is often compared. The weight of such a missile is about 3,400 kilograms.
The Ukrainian army's command also reported further details of the 6 August attack.
"On the night of August 6, 2024, the enemy fired four Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles at the Kyiv region from Russia’s Voronezh region, two Kh-59 guided missiles from the airspace over the Azov Sea, and 16 Shahed-type attack UAVs from Crimea’s Cape Chauda, Russia’s Kursk," informed General Mykola Oleshchuk on his Telegram profile.
The missile did not hit its target
The Ukrainian portal Defence Express explained that the North Korean ballistic missile fell in a forest near Brovary in the Kyiv region. The remnants were discovered about 20 kilometres from the centre of Kyiv. The Ukrainian capital was the target of the attack using the KN-23. According to the Ukrainians, it is hard to believe that the Russians would want to use such a powerful weapon to attack smaller towns.
A video appeared on social media showing a KN-23 ballistic missile falling uncontrollably. Defence Express experts noted that such situations are quite common with missiles from North Korea. It is estimated that even half of them do not reach their targets; some have large deviations, and others fail in the air.
