High-tech components mainly of American, Taiwanese, Japanese production and production of other countries of the “free world” were found among the rocket debris.
Ukrainian weapons expert Kristina Kimachuk, after the shelling of Kharkov by North Korean missiles, decided to collect information about their use by Russia to attack Ukrainian territory. The BBC writes about this.
So, after the first use of an unusual missile by the Russian Armed Forces to fire at a building in Kharkov, the expert began to disassemble its fragments and photograph each piece, in particular the screws and computer chips. She almost immediately realized that this was not a Russian missile and set herself the task of proving it.
Important
Half of the missiles fired at Ukraine from the DPRK exploded in the air, – Office of the Prosecutor General
Among the pieces of the rocket, she found a tiny symbol of the Korean alphabet, and the number 112, which in the DPRK means 2023, was stamped on parts of the body. Then the expert realized that this was the first solid evidence that weapons from the DPRK were being used to attack Ukraine.
“We heard that they had brought some weapons to Russia, but now I could see them, touch them, explore them like no one had ever done before. I was very excited,” she said.
Since then, the Russian Federation has fired dozens of North Korean missiles at Ukraine, killing at least 24 people and wounding more than 70.
The missiles are equipped with foreign components
The rocket was full of the latest foreign technology, and much of its components had been manufactured over the past few years in the United States and Europe. Among the wreckage, high-tech components were found, mainly of American, Taiwanese, Japanese production and production of other countries of the “free world”.
Among the parts was a US-made computer chip manufactured only in March 2023, indicating that North Korea had secured key weapons components to bypass years of sanctions.
“This was the biggest surprise – that despite being under strict sanctions for almost two decades, North Korea can still get everything it needs to produce weapons, and at extraordinary speed. I never thought I would see how North Korea’s ballistic missiles are being used to kill people on European soil,” says Damien Spleeters, deputy director of CAR.
According to RUSI estimates, North Korea sent to the Russian Federation by ship about 7,000 containers filled with more than a million shells and hail missiles that can be fired from trucks in large salvoes.
“These shells and missiles are among the most sought-after items in the world today, and they allow Russia to continue shelling Ukrainian cities at a time when the United States and Europe are dithering over what weapons to provide,” Byrne says.
Russia could also supply North Korea with raw materials for the production of missiles or even military equipment, such as fighter jets, and, in extreme cases, technical assistance to improve its nuclear weapons, experts noted.
Let us recall that analysts from the Institute for the Study of War stated in a report dated May 1 that the DPRK supplied the Russian Federation with Hwasong-11 missiles for attacks on Kharkov, and China supplied spare parts for aircraft.
