700 Days into Ukraine War

The war in Ukraine has entered its 700th day. On this day, several people were killed or injured in a large-scale Russian air raid in Ukraine. Amidst this, the appearance of North Korean missiles in the war adds a new variable to the situation, increasing tension.

The Guardian, the British daily, reported on the 23rd (local time) that a large-scale Russian air raid targeted Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Kherson, Ukraine, killing at least 18 people and injuring more than 130.

The air raid commenced at dawn. In Kyiv and Kharkiv, the air raid siren sounded at 5:43 a.m., and a series of explosions occurred about an hour later.

The Ukrainian military announced that it had downed 21 of the 41 missiles launched by Russia, but some managed to breach the air defense network.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video message, “Russia has launched about 40 missiles of various types,” and “Over 200 locations, including 139 houses, have been damaged.”

President Zelensky emphasized, “Many deaths have occurred in high-rise apartments. Ordinary people were living there,” and “The war will inevitably return to where the evil had departed.”

Meanwhile, the controversy is growing as it is suspected that North Korean missiles were used in Russia’s recent attacks. The UK’s Conflict Armament Research (CAR) stated in a report, stating “After physically analyzing the debris of the ballistic missile that hit the two major cities of Ukraine, Kharkiv, on the 2nd, we determined that the missile was manufactured in North Korea.”

CAR explained, “The missile is likely to be either a KN-23 or a KN-24,” and “There was a label marked with a handwritten ‘ㅈ’ Korean character on the missile debris.”

The New York Times (NYT) reported, “On the second anniversary of the war, Russia has begun to deploy North Korean weapons, exacerbating the difficulties of Ukraine, which is still waiting for a new American air defense network. Although the number of missiles transferred from North Korea to Russia remains below 50 thus far, American and European officials express concerns that many more missiles could be produced in the future.”