Debris believed to be from a North Korean missile, found in Kharkiv, Ukraine, in January 2024 [Reuters]
Debris believed to be from a North Korean missile, found in Kharkiv, Ukraine, in January 2024 [Reuters]

Ukrainian intelligence has claimed that North Korean missile units have been deployed to Russia's western border region amid intensifying exchanges between Russian and Ukrainian forces.

Andriy Chernyak, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), told Reuters on Wednesday that "North Korean missile units have begun deploying to western Russia" and are operating 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers intended for strikes against Ukraine.

He said the North Korean missile unit numbers about 90 personnel and is set to be assigned to the 112th Missile Brigade in Russia's western Voronezh region.

The announcement followed Ukrainian claims that Russia had fired two North Korean missiles at Ukraine last week.

In a statement on July 30, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia appeared to have used North Korean missiles "for the first time in a long while," adding that it was the first such launch in roughly a year since last August.


mokiya@heraldcorp.com