Russia limits North Korean missiles' use over accuracy issues, ISW reports
Photo: Russia is launching North Korean missiles one at a time (Getty Images)
Russia has changed its tactics: instead of massive barrages of North Korean missiles, it is now conducting isolated launches, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Why is Russia launching North Korean missiles one at a time
ISW analysts note that Russian forces are likely using a small number of KN-23 ballistic missiles in nighttime strike packages alongside other types of weaponry. In this way, the Russians are attempting to test the missiles and improve their accuracy.
On August 11, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Russian forces had launched a KN-23 missile at the city of Zaporizhzhia. This is not the first such incident in the past month—on the night of July 29–30, Russia had already launched a KN-23 missile strike on the Dnipropetrovsk region, the first such attack since the summer of 2025.
The reason for Russia's caution is likely related to the quality of the missiles themselves. According to available information, earlier batches of KN-23s supplied by North Korea proved to be highly inaccurate.
Since then, Russia has been working with Pyongyang to improve this weapon, and sporadic launches may be part of that process.
How many KN-23 missiles has Russia received from Pyongyang?
Ukrainian officials recently reported that North Korea has sent at least 40 KN-23 ballistic missiles to Russia.
At the same time, according to available data, Russia is launching only a very small number of these missiles at a time.
The ISW believes that adding North Korean missiles to Russia's arsenal will allow Russia to intensify its ballistic missile strikes against Ukraine in the near future.
This will enable the Russians to avoid using their S-400 and Zircon missile systems, which are already in short supply.
How Russia scaling up North Korean ballistic missiles use
On the night of August 11, Russian forces launched a massive strike on Zaporizhzhia, using, among other things, North Korean ballistic missiles, Zircon missiles, and guided aerial bombs.
Six civilians were killed in the Russian attack, and another 19 people were injured.
On August 10, Zelenskyy stated that Russia had received a new shipment of ballistic missiles from North Korea, and that military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang continues to expand.
According to the President, participating in the war allows North Korea to gain combat experience and improve its own weapons.
Meanwhile, the first suspicions that Russia was using North Korean ballistic missiles emerged as early as late 2023 and early 2024, when a KN-23 missile may have been used during the shelling of Kharkiv.
Russia has used at least 24 such missiles.
