What's New
Russia is "irrefutably" using North Korean missiles in Ukraine, according to the independent organization Conflict Armament Research (CAR).
Executive Director Jonah Leff told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that his U.K.-based research group, which identifies and tracks conventional weapons and ammunition in armed conflicts, had examined the remnants of four North Korean missiles recovered in Ukraine in July and August.
Newsweek has contacted via email the defense ministries in Russia and Ukraine, as well as the Permanent Mission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to the U.N., for comment.
Why It Matters
North Korea has emerged as Russia's biggest ally in its war against Ukraine, and its involvement in the conflict has been a major development since Russian President Vladimir Putin's 2022 invasion.
According to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, Pyongyang has sent 11,000 troops to fight against Ukrainian troops in Russia's Kursk region, which has been partially occupied since a surprise incursion by Kyiv's forces in August.
Zelensky has warned the West that Moscow has gathered 50,000 troops to fight against Ukrainian forces in Kursk. The Pentagon has said that Pyongyang's troops have been readying for combat.
What To Know
Leff said his group's findings, which include a missile with marks that suggest it was procured this year, mark the "first public evidence of missiles having been produced in North Korea and then used in Ukraine within a matter of months, not years," The Kyiv Independent reported.
As of this month, Russian forces have launched at least 60 North Korean ballistic missiles, according to Ukraine's military intelligence.
Moscow, which signed a strategic partnership pact with Pyongyang in July, has not officially confirmed anything about weapons shipments from North Korea.
What People Are Saying
CAR's Leff said: "Despite nearly two decades of sanctions on the DPRK, it has demonstrated this year its ability to produce and supply ballistic missiles for use against Ukraine within just a matter of months."
He continued: "Through CAR's collaborative approach with industry, we have ascertained that these components found in remnants of weapons systems used against Ukraine derived from supplies by third-party distributors, mostly based in East Asia."
What Happens Next
Donald Trump's election as president last month has raised questions about Ukraine's fate after close to three years of war against Russia.
This past weekend, Russian forces advanced over the weekend in the main Ukrainian salient in the Kursk region, according to the Institute for the Study of War. Meanwhile, Kyiv is seeking to retain as much leverage as it can in the Russian region ahead of any negotiations in 2025.
But Russia's push comes as Putin is seeking to recapture as much territory as he can ahead of the January 20 inauguration of Trump, who may pressure Kyiv to come to a deal, said Yuriy Boyechko, CEO and founder of the charity Hope for Ukraine.
Pyongyang could send more troops in the coming weeks and months because "this is just the tip of the iceberg," Boyechko said.
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