Ukraine-Russia war Dossier fragments found after an attack on Ukraine's second-largest city on January 2 show similar characteristics to the missiles supplied by North Korea to Russia, a hypothesis that the United States considers likely but that has not yet been categorically proven.
The debris of a rocket found in Kharkiv city center on January 2 after a series of Russian bombings in Ukraine is “visually and technically different” from the Russian models typically used in this type of attack, prosecutors said the Kharkiv region. Two civilians were killed and 62 injured in the attack.
Since the end of December 2023, the entire Ukraine has been the subject of Russian attacks of new intensity. On Saturday, Russian missiles hit houses in the city of Pokrovsk, not far from Donetsk in the east of the country, killing 11 civilians, including five children. As of Friday, December 29, 55 civilians have been killed in attacks across the country.
“Very large pieces [d’un missile] “The weapon remained intact after the impact,” said Dmytro Chubenko, spokesman for the Kharkiv region prosecutor’s office, “which enabled a detailed examination of the weapon.” According to him, the missile in question is an “atypical” version of the Russian Iskander Rockets. “This rocket is slightly larger than the Iskander, about 10 millimeters wider in diameter, and inside it is also different, with a tangle of cables, while the Iskander has electronic protection.” There is no such thing here, there are only cables inside Inside the rocket,” he said. The Portal news agency showed images of this missile with a range of 900 km to Joost Oliemans, a Dutch expert on the North Korean army. The researcher estimated that the debris closely resembled that of a North Korean missile.
Manufacturing number deleted
The comparison with open source photos of North Korean missiles shows “great similarities” with the debris from the missile that hit Kharkiv, Chubenko said. “We know that the North Korean missiles were made according to the (Russian) Iskander model. For this reason, we are inclined to the version that it could well be a missile supplied by North Korea. According to him, the identification numbers appear to have been deleted, contrary to usual practice. “This attempt to delete the numbers of certain parts indicates a desire to hide information about the missile.” However, the spokesman for the regional prosecutor's office wanted to remain cautious, recalling that “at the moment there is no direct evidence that allows us to do this to claim that it was a missile from North Korea or another country.”
On Friday, Mykhaïlo Podoliak, one of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's close advisers, was not so cautious and reiterated that the Russian Federation had for the first time attacked the territory of Ukraine with missiles from North Korea as part of its genocidal war. These comments followed remarks by US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, who accused Russia of using North Korean-supplied missiles and rocket launchers in its war in Ukraine. It was a “significant and worrying escalation,” the spokesman said during a press conference. He specified that on December 30, Russia fired at least one North Korean missile that landed in a field in the Zaporizhzhia region, and that on January 2, “several” ballistic missiles were fired at Ukraine. “We expect that Russia will use additional North Korean missiles to attack civilian infrastructure in Ukraine and kill innocent Ukrainian civilians.”
Atomic bomb test
John Kirby added that the United States would raise the issue at the United Nations Security Council and impose additional sanctions on those who facilitate arms transfers. North Korea has been subject to an arms embargo since a nuclear bomb test in 2006. UN Security Council resolutions – including Russia – ban countries from trading arms and other military equipment with North Korea.
In September 2023, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un visited Russia, where he met Russian President Vladimir Putin and discussed possible military cooperation. In November, South Korean officials said North Korea may have supplied Russia with SRBMs (short-range missiles) as part of a broader arms deal.
For three days, North Korea has also been conducting live artillery exercises on its west coast near South Korean islands where civilians have been called on to protect themselves.