Suspected North Korean Missile Remains Revealed in Ukrainian Attack

As suspicions arise regarding Russia’s utilization of missiles potentially supplied by North Korea in its assault on Ukraine, Ukraine presented the remnants of a suspected North Korean missile as evidence on the 6th (local time).

Dmytro Chubenko, a spokesperson for the Kharkiv Prosecutor’s Office, revealed the remains of one of the missiles used by Russia in the attack on Kharkiv on the 2nd, claiming that it differed from Russian ones in manufacturing methods.

Chubenko stated that while the exact type of this missile is not yet known, its size and wiring mechanisms differ from existing Russian missiles.

He explained that the missile’s diameter is larger than Russia’s typical Iskander missiles, and its internal wiring technology and manufacturing methods are more outdated.

Furthermore, he reported that there were parts of the debris where the manufacturing information, such as numbers engraved on the components, was blurred.

Chubenko noted that it is a common practice for Russian missiles to bear engravings of the names of the factory workers who manufactured them, following internal guidelines. However, he observed that this particular feature, suspected to be of North Korean origin, was missing in the missile. Additionally, he mentioned that the engraved numbers inside the missile were not distinct but rather blurred, deviating from the usual clarity seen in Russian missiles.

He continued, stating that the nozzle and tail parts confirmed from the missile debris are similar in shape to the missiles that the North Korean military has previously revealed in parades, and this is being used as evidence to suggest that North Korea provided the missile.

However, the Kharkiv Prosecutor’s Office stated that there is no definitive evidence that the debris is from a North Korean missile and that Russia may have changed its missile manufacturer or received it from a third country, leaving room for doubt.

“At present, there is no direct evidence that North Korea or any other country provided this missile to Russia,” he emphasized.

Last week, a large-scale missile attack by the Russian military in the northeastern region of Kharkiv, Ukraine, resulted in two deaths and more than 60 injuries.

A U.S. government official also revealed on the 4th that Russia recently received dozens of ballistic missiles from North Korea, some of which have already been used in attacks on Ukraine.