Military cooperation between Russia and North Korea continues to deepen. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine (HUR), North Korea has begun deploying a specialized missile unit to Russia. The unit is expected to be equipped with North Korean-made ballistic missiles and participate in strikes against Ukrainian territory.

According to HUR, the unit, consisting of approximately 90 personnel, will be stationed in Russia’s Voronezh region, near the Ukrainian border. Ukrainian intelligence reports that it may receive up to 120 ballistic missiles and six launcher vehicles, which will subsequently be used by Russian forces to conduct strikes on targets inside Ukraine.

Ukrainian intelligence states that this deployment represents a further expansion of military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang, which has intensified since 2023. Russia has already repeatedly employed North Korean KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles during large-scale attacks on Ukrainian cities. According to Ukrainian military assessments, these missiles have a longer range and a larger warhead than Russia’s Iskander missile system but are less accurate.

According to Kyiv, the use of North Korean ballistic missiles poses a significant threat amid Ukraine’s shortage of advanced missile defense systems. Ballistic missiles remain among the most difficult targets for Ukrainian air defenses, while the limited availability of additional Patriot systems and interceptor missiles provides Russia with an opportunity to increase the intensity of such attacks.

The Ukrainian side also claims that approximately 9,500 North Korean military personnel are already stationed in Russia, primarily in the Kursk region, and that their number could increase by an additional 30,000 troops in the future. These figures have not been independently verified, and neither Russian nor North Korean authorities have officially commented on reports regarding the deployment of the new missile unit.

 

If confirmed, the Ukrainian intelligence assessment would mark another indication that Russian-North Korean military cooperation has entered a new stage. Whereas Pyongyang had previously supplied Russia with artillery ammunition, ballistic missiles, and military specialists, it may now be moving toward the deployment of a fully operational missile unit.

Participation in the war provides Pyongyang with an opportunity to test its missile systems under real combat conditions, gain valuable battlefield experience, and further strengthen military-technical cooperation with Moscow. For Russia, the use of North Korean missiles could help partially offset the depletion of its own stockpile of precision-guided weapons while sustaining a high tempo of strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure ahead of the autumn and winter season.

#RUSSIA

#UKRAINE

#MILITARY REVIEW

#NORTH KOREA

05.08.2026 05:59