North Korea deploys missile unit, sends fresh ballistic arsenal to Russia: Ukraine

Ukraine has accused North Korea of expanding its military support for Russia by supplying fresh ballistic missiles and deploying a dedicated missile unit to back Moscow's war effort, in what Kyiv says marks a further deepening of defence ties between the two countries.According to Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR), the deployment includes about 90 North Korean personnel, six missile launchers and 120 ballistic missiles, including 40 newly supplied KN-23 and KN-24 missiles.Andrii Cherniak, a spokesperson for HUR, said the North Korean unit is expected to be based in Russia's western Voronezh region as part of the 112th Missile Brigade.Cherniak also alleged that Russia used a North Korean ballistic missile in a strike last week, describing it as the first recorded use of such a weapon since August 2025. He said Pyongyang had supplied Moscow with around 150 KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles between late 2023 and August 2025.Ukrainian military officials say the KN-23 and KN-24 missiles have a longer range and carry a larger warhead than Russia's Iskander missiles but are considerably less accurate, with several strikes causing heavy civilian casualties.The allegations come as Russia intensifies its missile attacks on Ukraine. Kyiv has warned that dwindling stocks of US-made Patriot interceptor missiles are limiting its ability to defend against ballistic missile strikes.The reported deployment is the latest indication of expanding military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty during Putin's visit to Pyongyang in June 2024. The agreement commits both countries to provide immediate military and other assistance if either comes under armed attack.South Korea's defence ministry said in 2024 that North Korea had shipped around 6,700 containers of ammunition to Russia by February that year, containing more than 3 million 152 mm artillery shells, around 500,000 122 mm rounds, or a combination of both.A Reuters investigation published in April 2025 found that North Korea's military support had grown substantially. Citing satellite imagery, Russian military documents and Ukrainian intelligence, Reuters reported that four Russian cargo ships completed 64 voyages between North Korea and Russia from September 2023 to March 2025, transporting an estimated 4 million to 6 million artillery shells.Ukraine's HUR has estimated that North Korea has supplied about 4 million artillery shells since mid-2023, with 122 mm and 152 mm ammunition accounting for more than three-quarters of the deliveries.In April 2025, North Korea publicly acknowledged for the first time that it had deployed troops to fight alongside Russian forces under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty. State media said Kim Jong Un had authorised the deployment and that North Korean troops had participated in operations in Russia's Kursk region. Russia has also publicly confirmed the involvement of North Korean soldiers in the fighting.