Remains of North Korean-made ballistic missiles have been found across Ukraine, further confirming US accusations that Pyongyang is weaponizing Russia’s war effort, according to a report. new unclassified report released Wednesday by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).
Since November 2023, the West has assessed that North Korea has been supplying artillery shells, rockets and missiles to Russia to support the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine, an assertion that Pyongyang has vehemently denied. The shipments from North Korea – formally known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) – are considered a violation of numerous UN sanctions against both countries.
Using publicly available images, DIA analysts confirmed that debris found in Kharkiv on January 2 is from a North Korean short-range missile. A side-by-side analysis of the images “shows that the missile debris in Ukraine is almost certainly from a North Korean ballistic missile,” according to the report.
Ukrainian authorities in early January identified fragments of North Korean missiles, including the short-range Hwasong 11, which can fly up to about 430 miles and is also known as the KN-23.
DIA’s brief 12-page report also highlights the evolution and strengthening of the relationship between Pyongyang and Moscow.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un first met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in September 2023, a meeting that US officials say led to North Korea supplying Moscow with munitions. of artillery and rockets in exchange for essential technology and food.
In November, South Korean lawmakers estimated that Pyongyang had sent a million bombs to Russia, as well as rockets and ballistic missiles.
Such a military alliance is valuable between the two countries as it keeps Russia entrenched in the oppressive war in Ukraine while bolstering North Korea’s nuclear and space ambitions.
“Pyongyang’s continued development of new military capabilities indicates that the regime will pursue its defense modernization goals in the near future, which Russia is willing to support as a result of growing ties,” the report notes.
North Korea appears eager for such a victory after a series of setbacks, including the explosion of a spy satellite on Monday, just minutes after liftoff. The incident was the third failure in Pyongyang’s last four attempts to put a satellite into orbit.
That defeat triggered a furious barrage of ballistic missiles from North Korea — at least 10 fired from Pyongyang into the Sea of Japan on Thursday, according to the South Korean military.
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