- A North Korean missile unit, comprising approximately 90 personnel, is being deployed to Russia, equipped with 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers for strikes against Ukraine.
- This deployment, expected to be based in Russia's Voronezh region, signifies an expansion of military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang, which signed a mutual defence pact in 2024.
- Russia has already used North Korean ballistic missiles against Ukraine since late 2023, exploiting Ukraine's limited high-end air defence capabilities.
- Ukrainian intelligence indicates that North Korea's KN-23 and KN-24 missiles, while having greater range and payload than Russia's equivalent, are less accurate and have been linked to high civilian casualties, including a recent strike that killed five people.
- North Korea has also supplied millions of artillery shells and thousands of troops to Russia, though the troops are reportedly not yet directly involved in combat operations.
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North Korea sends missile unit to Russia as Putin tries to exploit Ukraine weakness
