Ukraine has reported a surge in Russian ballistic missile attacks, with approximately one-third of the missiles launched in 2024 being North Korean KN-23 weapons powered by Western-made components. Investigators have uncovered evidence that guidance systems in these missiles contain electronics manufactured in the United States, Europe, and other allied countries, raising concerns about global sanctions enforcement and supply chain vulnerabilities.
Russia has launched 194 ballistic missiles at Ukraine so far in 2024, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Of these, roughly 60 were North Korean KN-23 missiles. Ukrainian officials first publicly identified these missiles in August and September during a spike in attacks. Strikes using KN-23 missiles have killed at least 28 people and injured 213 in Ukraine this year, according to the Ukrainian prosecutor general.
Yuriy Ignat, the acting head of communications for Ukraine’s Air Force, stated that Russia has shifted toward using ballistic missiles and drones over cruise missiles since the spring. This shift has coincided with North Korea’s growing support for Moscow, which includes the supply of weapons and the reported deployment of 11,000 North Korean soldiers to Russia’s Kursk region.
Ukrainian officials granted CNN rare access to missile fragments recovered from strike sites, revealing that critical components in the KN-23 guidance systems were produced by Western manufacturers. Investigators identified parts from nine companies based in the United States, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, with some components manufactured as recently as 2023.
“Everything that works to guide the missile, to make it fly, is all foreign components. All the electronics are foreign. There is nothing Korean in it,” said Andriy Kulchytskyi, head of the Military Research Laboratory at Kyiv’s Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise.
A report by the U.K.-based investigative organization Conflict Armament Research (CAR) found that 75% of components in an early KN-23 missile used against Ukraine came from U.S.-based companies. Ukrainian Defense Intelligence estimates that about 70% of components in the missiles are American, with the rest originating from Germany, Switzerland, and other European countries.
Experts believe that China plays a key role in diverting these components to North Korea. Damien Spleeters, deputy director of operations at CAR, explained that Chinese companies often serve as intermediaries, acquiring components from Western manufacturers and passing them through networks to reach Pyongyang.
“We have successfully traced some of those components, and the last known custodians are Chinese companies,” Spleeters said. Ukraine is reportedly working with organizations like CAR to disrupt these supply chains and enforce stricter sanctions.Â
