North Korea's arms support: KN-23 missiles and artillery shells fuel Russia's offensive in Ukraine
Russia has been utilizing missiles sourced from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), specifically the KN-23 model, in its assault on Ukraine. Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate spokesperson, Andriy Chernyak, revealed in an interview with Radio Svoboda. As of now, approximately 60 such missiles have been used, he confirmed.
According to Chernyak, the KN-23 missiles are developed using outdated technology, which significantly affects their precision.
In addition to missiles, North Korea supplied Russia with a substantial quantity of artillery shells, numbering in the millions.
"We constantly observe the transfer of goods and containers. We cannot rule out the presence of North Korean-produced artillery ammunition within these shipments, which already reside in their stockpiles. Yes, this poses a significant threat to Ukraine," Chernyak noted.
He emphasized that, despite having its own military resources, Russia is utilizing ammunition manufactured by North Korea.
Earlier, intelligence reports indicated that since October, DPRK had transferred over 100 artillery systems and 100 short-range ballistic missiles of the KN-23/KN-24 type to Russia.
North Korean forces in Russia are under the command of three generals, as reported by the Ukrainian intelligence.