Debris from a KN-23 missile launched earlier in the war.
Kyodo via Reuters Connect
Russia is launching North Korean ballistic missiles at Ukraine again after a months-long pause, as Moscow intensifies its long-range attacks against Kyiv.The Ukrainian Air Force said North Korea's KN-23 missile was used in two recent strikes: one on July 30 in the central city of Kryvyi Rih and another on Tuesday in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. Prior to these attacks, the last known launch was in December 2025.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that Russia had received additional ballistic missiles from North Korea.The Hwasong-11A — known in the US as the KN-23 — is a North Korean short-range ballistic missile that appears to be based on the design of the Russian 9K720 Iskander.Col. Yurii Ihnat, the Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson, said that the KN-23 missile is essentially a North Korean copy of the Iskander, but with a somewhat larger warhead.In remarks shared with Business Insider, Ihnat said that Russia "may not have transferred the full technical information and know-how to North Korea."Ihnat described this as a "common practice" when sharing sensitive military technology. The original developer may intentionally withhold some details to prevent the manufacturing of an exact copy of the product.
