Parts from the US and Europe were found in North Korean missiles launched in Ukraine – media

Since the beginning of 2024, Russia has launched 194 ballistic missiles at Ukraine, of which about 60 were North Korean KN-23s, which were found to contain components made in Western countries. CNN reported this on Saturday, November 23, citing its own calculations confirmed by Ukrainian military sources.

There was a surge in attacks in August and September, when Ukraine publicly disclosed Russia’s use of the KN-23 for the first time.

“We see that since the spring, Russia has been using ballistic missiles and attack drones more to strike Ukraine and using cruise missiles less,” said Yuriy Ignat, a representative of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, in an interview with. the TV channel.

Ukrainian officials showed CNN remains from North Korean missiles, confirming that their guidance systems use components from the United States and Europe. Critical components are produced by nine Western manufacturers, including companies located in the USA, the Netherlands and the UK. Some parts of the rocket were produced in 2023.

A report published earlier this year by the British research organization Conflict Armament Research (CAR) found that 75% of the components of one of the first North Korean missiles fired at Ukraine were made by companies based in US.

According to CAR, parts from more than 250 companies have been found in North Korean missiles. But most of these electronics are sold by five major distributors based in the United States and Canada. A likely channel for supplying parts is China, experts say.

Let’s recall that in October the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry announced the components of Western origin in North Korea’s missiles. They called for tougher sanctions against the Russian Federation and North Korea.

North Korea has found 290 foreign components in a missile fired by the Russian Federation over Ukraine