Russia has fired at least 60 North Korean-supplied ballistic missiles during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a Ukrainian military spokesperson told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on Dec. 2.
North Korea supplied Russia with ammunition, ballistic missiles, and now soldiers since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Pyongyang has ratcheted up its support for Russia following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s signing of a mutual defense pact with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June.
Earlier reports mentioned more than 5 million artillery shells and 100 short-range ballistic missiles, including short-range ballistic missiles of the KN-23/24 type, supplied to Russia.
"Their accuracy, in principle, is not very high. We understand that the technology with which they were manufactured is outdated," Andrii Cherniak, a military intelligence spokesperson, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
On top of ammunition and missiles, since late October, thousands of North Korean troops have been fighting in Russia’s Kursk Oblast to expel Ukrainian forces holding approximately 800 square kilometers (309 square miles) of Russian territory.
According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, they suffered their first losses. Pyongyang is believed to receive economic support and assistance for its nuclear weapons program in return for troops and arms supplies.
The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk