Russia deploys North Korean missiles near Ukraine, putting 7 regions at risk
Photo: Russia is deploying North Korean missiles in the Voronezh region (Getty Images)
Russia deploys new launchers for North Korean missiles in the Voronezh region, threatening at least 7 Ukrainian regions, according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Ukraine's intelligence confirmed the transfer to Russia of about 50 ballistic missiles of the KN-23, KN-24, and upgraded KN-30 (Hwansong-11C) types.
The KN-30 is an upgraded version of the KN-23 ballistic missile and is capable of carrying a warhead weighing up to 2,500 kilograms.
Russia has already begun deploying six launchers for North Korean missiles in the Voronezh region, and these launchers will be able to launch a total of 120 missiles.
North Korean missiles can strike the Sumy, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Poltava, Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions from the Voronezh region.
According to Ukrainian military expert Anatolii Khrapchynskyi, Russian forces do not always use all of their launchers in every strike campaign.
For example, according to his data, Russia has about 160 Iskander launchers, each of which can carry two missiles, but the Russian armed forces launch an average of 16 to 26 missiles.
Khrapchynskyi added that Russian Iskander-M missiles have an accuracy of between five and 20 meters, while North Korean KN-23 missiles regularly miss their targets by hundreds of meters or even kilometers.
North Korean missiles also carry a significantly larger warhead weighing up to one ton, compared with the standard 480-kilogram warhead of Russian Iskander-M missiles, and cause larger craters and shock waves.
North Korea deploys a missile unit in Russia
North Korea recently transferred more than 100 ballistic missiles and specialized missile units to Russia. This could cause even greater destruction and civilian casualties in Ukraine.
The deployment of a North Korean missile unit has begun in western Russia.
According to Ukraine's intelligence, a unit is being formed in the Voronezh region that could include about 90 North Korean military personnel and six launchers with 120 ballistic missiles.
