Ukraine: North Korean Missile Unit Deployed to Russia's Western Border

Amid intensifying long-range missile and drone airstrikes between Russia and Ukraine, Ukrainian authorities announced that a North Korean missile unit has been deployed to Russia's western border region.

Andrii Cherniak of Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) told Reuters on the 5th (local time) that the North Korean missile unit has already begun deploying to Russia's western Voronezh region, adding that up to 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers could be deployed there.

He explained that the North Korean missile unit currently consists of about 90 personnel and will be assigned to Russia's 112th Missile Brigade in the area.

Ukrainian intelligence authorities stated that they have gathered that North Korea has already sent 40 new KN-23 and KN-24 missiles along with operating personnel to this unit, adding that the final scale of the deployment will be finalized at a high-level meeting between Russia and North Korea scheduled for next month.

Cherniak added that the Russian side expects up to 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers to be deployed.

News of North Korea stepping up support to bolster Russia's ballistic missile capabilities comes as North Korean-made missiles recently landed in Ukraine.

Ukrainian authorities announced last week that a North Korean missile struck a residential area in the central region, killing at least five members of a single family.

In a statement on July 30, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed, "It appears that Russia has used North Korean missiles for the first time in a long time," asserting that Russia launched North Korean missiles for the first time in about a year since August of last year.

Russia began firing KN-23 and KN-24 missiles toward Ukraine in late 2023.

According to Ukraine, North Korea supplied Russia with approximately 150 missiles from that time through August 2025.

Russia and Ukraine have recently been launching fierce long-range airstrikes against each other, mobilizing all available missiles and drones.

Ukraine is actively deploying low-cost long-range drones to intensively strike industrial infrastructure deep inside Russian territory, such as oil refineries and logistics complexes, inflicting pressure on Russia.

Russian vessels operating in the Black Sea are also becoming targets of attacks by Ukrainian long-range drones.

In response, Russia is also fiercely attacking Ukraine by massively mobilizing ballistic missiles, a domain where its military strength is superior.

Therefore, if this news of North Korean troop support with ballistic missiles is true, it can be seen that Russia has embarked on providing substantial firepower support for its heavy bombardment of Ukraine using ballistic missiles.

Reuters pointed out that "the deployment of the North Korean missile unit signifies a further expansion of the already extensive military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang."

Taking advantage of troop deployment to the Russia-Ukraine war, North Korea received Russian oil, food, and weapons, and even signed a mutual defense treaty with Russia in 2024.

In the aftermath of US arsenals being rapidly depleted due to the US-Iran war, Ukraine is suffering from a severe shortage of Patriot missiles, which are its only ballistic missile defense means.

Capitalizing on this air defense vacuum in Ukraine, Russia appears to be launching even more fierce ballistic missile attacks recently.

AFP reported through its own analysis that amid the recent intensification of long-range strikes, Russia more than doubled its missile usage toward Ukraine in July.

Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) based in Philadelphia, USA, told Reuters that North Korea's support of ballistic missiles to Russia will pose a serious threat to Ukraine, pointing out that "ballistic missile defense is one of Ukraine's most vulnerable areas."
 
(Photo provided by the National Intelligence Service, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.