KN-23 missile launch, illustrative photo
After a 5-month pause, Russia has resumed missile attacks on Ukraine using KN-23 missiles made in North Korea. The attacks resumed in late July. The pause in their use may be attributed to Russia awaiting a more advanced version of these missiles. This was stated by Oleg Katkov, editor-in-chief of the Defence Express publication, on Hromadske Radio.
According to Katkov, the first KN-23 missiles that Russia received from North Korea were not highly accurate or of good quality. For instance, some of these missiles disintegrated mid-flight. Similar issues were observed in August when a missile disintegrated in midair over the eastern outskirts of Brovary.
«The enemy could have used the five months to acquire a new batch of missiles that had undergone additional quality control. However, significant changes to the combat unit itself are unlikely. The Russians likely identified the issues with the initial batch and could have persuaded Pyongyang to make adjustments to the manufacturing process, supply their own materials, or send their equipment and specialists to North Korea to initiate production at a new industrial base», — Katkov explained regarding the pause in Russia’s use of North Korean KN-23 missiles.
It can be concluded that the Russians did not achieve the desired improvements. Therefore, the quality issues persist. This conclusion is based on the aftermath of recent missile falls in Kyiv Region. Katkov attributed these problems to the fact that North Korea has been under sanctions for its entire existence. This lead to the use of bearings from civilian cars in the steering mechanisms of these missiles.
Another reason for the pause could be related to experiments where Russia simultaneously launched Iskander-M and KN-23 missiles at Ukraine. Katkov suggested that in this scenario, the KN-23 might serve as a decoy or simply overload air defense systems, which have a limit on the number of missiles they can intercept at one time.
«In any case, the Russian Federation can launch these missiles directly at cities because they are indifferent to where they land. For the Russian Federation, the target is not a specific object but just a city. Even if the missile crashes over a city, it will still fall and explode», — said Katkov.
He also noted that until the winter of 2023, these missiles had not been used by North Korea, except during military exercises. Therefore, Ukraine became the first country to be targeted with North Korean missiles.
The KN-23 is very similar to Russia’s Iskander-M, though Katkov pointed out that North Korea’s missile industry is generally based on Russian technology. As an example, he mentioned North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile.
The Russians first used the KN-23 missile against Ukraine in the winter of 2023, firing a total of 50 such missiles in a short period of time. For five months afterward, Russia did not launch any more North Korean missiles at Ukraine, but the attacks resumed on 31 July. Since then, missiles have hit the Kyiv region several times.