Russia has used North Korean ballistic missiles in its war against Ukraine, a U.S. defense agency has confirmed.
A report from the Defense Intelligence Agency released on Thursday detailed how experts were able to compare the missile debris found in Kharkiv on Jan. 2, 2024, to publicly available images of known North Korean missiles and determined they are the same.
Specifically, the report detailed several aspects of those ballistic missiles that match — the aft motor section including the nozzle that’s bolted on and the tail section mounting holes; the cable tray connectors and handling ring connectors; and both had the same number of bolts used to mount the igniter, which is used to start the rocket motor during the launch.
The confirmation is more than a year and a half after the White House first publicly stated that Russia and North Korea were negotiating a deal that would provide Russia with millions of rounds of North Korean artillery shells and rockets, which predated the transfer of ballistic missiles.
The North Koreans began providing Russia with ammunition in late August and into early September 2023 and did the same with ballistic missiles in December 2023. U.S. National Security Council coordinator John Kirby revealed on Jan. 4, 2024, that Russia had fired multiple ballistic missiles at Ukrainian targets the week prior.
“We expect Russia and North Korea to learn from these launches,” Kirby said at the time. “We anticipate that Russia will use additional North Korean missiles to target Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and to kill innocent Ukrainian civilians. These North Korean ballistic missiles are capable of ranges of approximately 900 kilometers — that’s about 550 miles. This is a significant and concerning escalation in the DPRK’s support for Russia.”
South Korea’s defense chief announced in late February that North Korea had potentially provided Russia with more than 3 million artillery shells, according to Nikkei Asia, which the DIA said can be traced to Russian strikes on population centers that have resulted in dozens of civilian casualties.
In exchange for the artillery and ballistic missiles, Moscow has provided Pyongyang with diplomatic support at the United Nations and has given the North Koreans a chance to gain insight into how their weapons perform in combat.
Russia has enhanced its military and diplomatic relationships with a handful of anti-Western countries including North Korea and Iran as it seeks to gain advantages on the battlefield in Ukraine. Tehran has provided Russia with hundreds of one-way attack drones that Russian forces have used to target Ukrainian infrastructure.
“In total, Iran is seeking billions of dollars worth of military equipment from Russia to strengthen its military capabilities. Russia has also been helping Iran develop and maintain its satellite collection capabilities and other space-based programs,” Kirby told reporters in November 2023.
“Russia has been offering Tehran unprecedented defense cooperation including on missiles, electronics, and air defense. Earlier this year, Iran announced it had finalized a deal to buy Su-35 fighter jets from Russia,” Kirby added. “Iran is seeking to purchase additional military equipment from Russia including attack helicopters, radars, and combat trainer aircraft.”
The U.S. Treasury Department has continued to impose sanctions on Russia, Iran, and North Korea’s procurement networks as the war in Ukraine continues. Two weeks ago, the department announced sanctions on two Russian individuals and three Russia-based entities for facilitating weapons transfers between Russia and North Korea.
“Today’s action reflects our commitment to disrupt the DPRK’s deepening military cooperation with Russia,” Undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson said. “The United States will continue to take action to hold accountable those who seek to facilitate the shipment of weapons and other materiel to enable Russia’s war.”
Last week, British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said the U.K. had evidence to prove that China was collaborating with Russia on military equipment for Russia’s use in Ukraine. His statement, which contradicted testimony from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken only a day earlier, represents a significant development, if accurate.
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Western leaders aggressively tried to dissuade Beijing from aiding Russia militarily, though U.S. officials in recent months have rebuked China for sending “dual-use” manufacturing equipment on such a scale “that Russia has almost completely reconstituted militarily” despite their losses in Ukraine and Western sanctions.
“We have not seen China provide actual weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a Senate hearing last week. “What we are seeing is China provide overwhelming support to Russia’s defense industrial base … we’ve already sanctioned more than 100 Chinese entities that we’ve identified that were engaged in providing dual-use products, other things that are on sanctions lists. We will continue to do that.”