What officials in Kiev discovered when they analyzed the remains of North Korean missiles launched by Russia in Ukraine

Ukrainian prosecutors examined debris from 21 of the roughly 50 North Korean ballistic missiles launched by Russia, trying to assess the threat posed by Moscow’s cooperation with Pyongyang. The office of the Supreme Prosecutor of Ukraine, Andrii Kostin, told Reuters that the failure rate of these missiles appears to be very high. However, the attacks killed 24 people, injured 115 and damaged several residential buildings and industrial facilities.

“About half of the North Korean missiles lost their programmed trajectories and exploded in mid-air; in such cases, the remains were not recovered,” said prosecutor’s office officials.

North Korean missiles are only part of the arsenal used by Russia during its war in Ukraine, but their alleged use has sparked alarm from Seoul to Washington as it could herald the end of nearly two decades of consensus among the permanent members of the Security Council. UN security on preventing Pyongyang from expanding its nuclear and ballistic programs.

Beyond allowing North Korea to test missiles, Russia has taken steps that will make it harder for the UN to monitor sanctions imposed on Pyongyang in 2006.

Last month, Moscow vetoed the annual extension of the mission of UN sanctions monitors, who for 15 years have monitored the implementation of sanctions against North Korea.

China, one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, along with Russia, the United States, Britain and France, abstained from the vote.

Days before its mandate expires, the panel of experts released a report confirming for the first time that, in violation of UN sanctions, a North Korean-made ballistic missile known as the Hwasong-11 hit the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv .

That, as well as Moscow’s veto, underscores how Russia and North Korea have intensified their bilateral relationship beyond transactional agreements, said Edward Howell, a North Korea expert at Oxford University, quoted by Reuters.

“There is a lasting legacy that is now taking shape, which is that North Korea, by being assured of Russian support, is indeed able to undermine key international institutions like the UN Security Council,” he said.

Dozens dead or injured

Despite the UN setback, Kostin said his office would continue the investigation.

The prosecutor’s office said that when no debris could be collected from the impact sites, the Hwasong-11 missiles, which are also called KN-23 in the West, were identified by examining their flight paths, velocities and impact sites. release.

The last recorded use of a KN-23 was on February 27, the prosecutor’s office said, adding that the total number of launches it identified matched information that North Korea had delivered about 50 ballistic missiles to Russia.

According to the United States, Russia received ballistic missiles and artillery from North Korea after the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin for a summit last September.

The 21 cases where debris was collected include three instances where missiles were fired at the Ukrainian capital Kiev and the surrounding region, Kostin’s office said. The others hit Kharkiv, Poltava, Donetsk and Kirovohrad regions.

The attacks, which began on December 30, 2023, killed 24 people, injured 115 and damaged several residential buildings and industrial facilities, the office said.

The roughly 50 missiles were fired from several locations, including from Russia’s western regions of Belgorod, Voronezh and Kursk, it added.

The Ukrainian statement did not say whether any of the missiles were shot down by air defenses. Ballistic missiles are usually difficult to intercept due to their trajectory and speed.

According to Kostin’s office, Ukrainian authorities were still investigating whether Pyongyang sent instructors to monitor ballistic missile launches.

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