Russia Deploys 120 North Korean Ballistic Missiles to Destroy Ukraine

A North Korean missile unit has begun deploying to western Russia to attack Ukraine, according to a Ukrainian military intelligence officer. The unit could have 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers. Ukraine faces a severe shortage of advanced air defense systems. And to take advantage of this opportunity, Russia is increasingly using ballistic missiles, which are relatively difficult to destroy.
Since late 2023, Russia has fired several North Korean ballistic missiles towards Ukraine. However, this deployment of the North Korean missile force is seen as a new stage in the ongoing broader military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang. Andriy Chernyak of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate said the missile unit, consisting of about 90 North Korean soldiers, is planned to be deployed under the 112th Missile Brigade in Russia’s Voronezh region.
Chernyak said Pyongyang has already sent a contingent of 40 KN-23 and KN-24 missiles to Russia. However, the type of missiles to be deployed and the total number of missiles will be finalized at a top-level meeting next month. Russia expects the deployment to include 120 North Korean ballistic missiles and six launchers. However, it is not yet clear what role the North Korean soldiers will play in Russia’s missile program.
Last week, Russia fired two North Korean missiles into Ukraine for the first time since August, which is consistent with Chernyak’s information about the deployment. Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the Philadelphia-based think tank Foreign Policy Research Institute, said North Korea’s support was a major threat to Kiev. He said ballistic missile defenses are one of Ukraine’s weakest points, so an increase in the number of ballistic missiles would increase the risk.
He added that Ukraine’s air defenses could be a major concern next winter, when Russia could again launch large-scale attacks on the power grid, as it has in the past. Reuters could not independently verify Chernyak’s claims. He said the intelligence could not be released due to sensitivity. The Russian Defense Ministry and North Korea’s embassy to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
North Korea has become one of Moscow’s closest allies since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The two countries signed a mutual defense treaty in 2024. According to Ukrainian officials, North Korea has supplied millions of artillery shells to support Russia’s war effort and has sent 14,000 troops to Russia’s Kursk region to repel a Ukrainian ground offensive.
Last week, Ukrainian authorities said a North Korean missile hit a residential building in the village of Radushne in central Ukraine, killing at least five people from the same family. Chernyak said the missiles used in last week’s attack were North Korea’s first recorded ballistic missile attack since August 25. He confirmed that they were part of a new shipment of 40 missiles.
According to Ukrainian military sources, North Korea’s KN-23 and KN-24 missiles, while capable of carrying a longer range and larger payload than their Russian equivalent, the Iskander missiles, are much less accurate. That is why the number of civilian casualties in these missile attacks is said to be high.
Russia began firing KN-23 and KN-24 missiles into Ukraine in late 2023. Chernyak said North Korea delivered 150 such missiles to Russia between late 2023 and August 2025. He added that there are about 9,500 North Korean troops in Russia’s Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, but they are not currently involved in any direct military operations against Ukraine. Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Kremlin had asked Pyongyang to send another 30,000 North Korean troops and was preparing to receive them in Russia’s Voronezh region.

Source: NDTV