Ukraine shows evidence Russia fired North Korea missile at Kharkiv

In Kharkiv, Ukraine, the regional prosecutor’s office presented additional evidence on Saturday that Russia had attacked Ukraine with missiles provided by North Korea, displaying the fragments.

A senior adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated on Friday that Russia had struck Ukraine with North Korean-supplied missiles for the first time during its invasion this week.

Dmytro Chubenko, a spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office, revealed that one of the missiles, which struck Kharkiv on January 2, was visually and technically different from Russian models.

Chubenko, while displaying the remnants, stated “The production method is not very modern. There are deviations from standard Iskander missiles, which we previously saw during strikes on Kharkiv. This missile is similar to one of the North Korean missiles.”

He also mentioned that the missile was slightly bigger in diameter than the Russian Iskander missile, with differences in its nozzle, internal electrical windings, and rear parts.

Chubenko added “That is why we are leaning towards the version that this may be a missile which was supplied by North Korea.” However, he declined to provide the exact model name of the missile.

This week, Russia targeted Kharkiv with several missiles, resulting in the death of two individuals and injuring over 60, marking one of the largest missile and drone strikes since the start of the large-scale war in February 2022.

North Korea has been under a United Nations arms embargo since its first nuclear test in 2006. U.N. Security Council resolutions, approved with Russian support, prohibit countries from trading weapons or military equipment with North Korea.

(Reporting by Vitalii Hnidyi, writing by Olena Harmash, editing by Giles Elgood)