The use of North Korean missiles by Russia in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine has drawn significant attention as reports emerge of a high failure rate, with about half failing to reach their targets.
About half of the North Korean missiles launched by Russia at Ukraine between December 2023 and February 2024 exploded mid-air, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine told Reuters on May 7. According to the report, Ukraine analyzed the wreckage of 21 out of the 50 North Korean ballistic missiles that Russia fired over two months to “assess the threat from Moscow’s cooperation with Pyongyang.”
Back in March, Yuriy Belousov, head of the war crimes department of Ukraine’s office of the prosecutor general, said North Korean ballistic missiles were “very low” quality, boasting an accuracy rate of only around 20 percent. Beyond the missiles, North Korean rockets have also been called into question. Last summer, the Ukrainians got their hands on North Korean rockets that troops characterized as “very unreliable,” noting they sometimes “do crazy things.” They said it wasn’t odd for them to misfire or explode.
The Hwasong 11 missiles, also known as KN-23 in the West, are among those identified in the attacks. The last recorded launch of a KN-23 missile by Russia was on February 27, 2024. As a result of attacks with these missiles since Dec. 30, 2023, 24 people have been killed and another 115 injured, with damage also inflicted on residential and industrial structures.
North Korean missiles account for a tiny portion of Russia’s strikes during its war on Ukraine, but their alleged use has caused alarm from Seoul to Washington because it may herald the end of nearly two-decade consensus among permanent members of the United Nations Security Council on preventing Pyongyang expanding its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. In addition to providing North Korea with an opportunity to test missiles, Russia has taken steps that will make it harder for the United Nations to monitor sanctions imposed on Pyongyang in 2006.
In terms of the battlefield implications, the use of North Korean munitions by Russia provides Pyongyang with a real-world environment to test its weapon systems, potentially offering insights into their performance and areas for improvement.
Relevant articles:
– About half of the North Korean missiles Russia fired at Ukraine flew off course and exploded in the air, official says, Business Insider, 05/09/2024
– Half of North Korean missiles used by Russia fail mid-flight, Ukraine says, Yahoo! Voices, 05/07/2024
– Ukraine examines North Korea missile debris from Russian strikes, Fox News, 05/07/2024
– Half of Russian-Launched North Korean Missiles in Ukraine Failed Midair, Militarnyi, 05/07/2024