Analysis: Russia used over 90 N.Korean-made missiles in attacks on Ukraine
According to analysis by Ukraine's military intelligence, Russia launched more than 90 North Korean-made ballistic missiles over the 19 months through March targeting Ukraine. It says the attacks left more than 170 people dead or wounded.
Russia has been deepening military cooperation with Pyongyang, and using North Korean-made short-range ballistic missiles, known as the KN23 and the KN24, in its attacks across Ukraine.
NHK obtained the analysis from a Ukrainian military intelligence source.
It says Russia fired a total of 95 North Korean-made ballistic missiles on Kyiv as well as Dnipropetrovsk in the eastern region, Poltava in the central region and elsewhere between August 2023 and early March of this year. These strikes killed 20 people and injured 154.
In an attack in August 2024, a residence in the Kyiv region was destroyed, claiming the lives of a man in his 30s and his 4-year-old son.
Ballistic missile attacks using the North's missiles have continued beyond March. In April a missile hit an apartment block in Kyiv, killing 12 people.
The analysis found that in more than half of the attacks missiles landed on vacant ground or disappeared mid-flight, failing to cause damage.
It also says Moscow obtained 148 ballistic missiles from Pyongyang in 2024 and is expected to receive at least 150 this year.
A senior Ukrainian official in charge of national security noted that the accuracy of North Korean missiles has significantly improved, causing increasing damage.
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