Ukraine’s intelligence: North Korea may send Russia 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers
According to Ukraine's intelligence, Moscow plans to deploy a unit of about 90 North Korean military personnel in the Voronezh region. It is expected to become part of Russia's 112th Missile Brigade.
A representative of Ukrainian intelligence told Reuters that North Korea had already supplied Russia with a new batch of 40 KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles, as well as personnel. According to him, the final deployment parameters are expected to be agreed upon during top-level talks next month.
According to Ukraine's intelligence assessment, Russia expects to receive a total of:
At the same time, the role of North Korean troops in the missile unit's operations remains unknown.
Cherniak also said that last week, for the first time since August 2025, Russia used North Korean ballistic missiles against Ukraine. According to him, they were fired from the new batch of munitions.
Reuters noted that it could not independently verify the information. Russia's Ministry of Defense and North Korean representatives did not respond to the agency's requests for comment.
Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, believes that an increase in the number of ballistic missiles poses a serious threat to Ukraine.
The expert also warned that the situation could become especially difficult in winter if Russia again focuses its strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
According to the agency, Russia wants to take advantage of Ukraine's shortage of air defense missiles capable of intercepting ballistic missiles so that it may use more of this type of weapon.
According to Ukraine's Defense Intelligence, since late 2023, North Korea has already supplied Russia with about 150 KN-23 and KN-24 missiles. These missiles have a longer range and a larger warhead than Russia's Iskanders, but they are less accurate.
In addition, Cherniak said about 9,500 North Korean troops are currently in the Kursk region, although they are not yet directly taking part in combat operations against Ukraine.
BackgroundAs Rubryka wrote, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi earlier said the Kremlin was preparing to receive up to 30,000 more North Korean troops, with preparations underway in the Voronezh region.
Against the backdrop of personnel shortages in the Russian army, additional North Korean units could be one way for Russia to address its recruitment problems. In the first half of 2026, Russia trained about 8,000 specialists for unmanned systems forces — roughly a quarter of the planned target of 34,400 people.
In addition, in July 2026, Russia had already used more ballistic missiles than it could produce in a month. As of July 19, Russian forces had used 107 ballistic missiles and 20 3M22 Zircon missiles since the beginning of the month.
According to estimates by Ukraine's Ministry of Defense and Defense Intelligence, in 2026, Russia produces about 60 9M723 ballistic missiles for the Iskander-M system and 40 RM-48U missiles for S-400 systems each month. Their combined monthly production volume is about 100 units.
- Last
- August, 05
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
News by day
6 of August 2026
