Russia used North Korean missiles against Ukraine

American intelligence services found that Russia used North Korean ballistic missiles in some of its latest attacks on Ukraine and that it is also negotiating with Iran to buy short-range ballistic missiles.

John Kirby, a spokesman for the White House, offered details of this information from the US intelligence services at a press conference this Thursday, which points out that North Korea has delivered ballistic missile launchers and those same missiles to Russia.

According to Kirby, Russia fired at least one such ballistic missile toward Ukraine on December 30, 2023, and also launched “multiple” North Korean ballistic missiles on January 2 of this year in another attack on Ukrainian infrastructure.

These missiles were part of a missile and drone bombardment carried out by Russia against Ukraine in the last days of 2023 and early this year, in the largest attack since the start of the war, in February 2022.

The spokesman assessed that the launch of these missiles, with a range of approximately 900 kilometers, represents a “significant” and “worrying” escalation of the support that, according to Washington, North Korea is providing to Russia in its war in Ukraine.

In exchange for these missiles, Pyongyang seeks military aid from Russia, including aircraft, armored vehicles and other types of advanced technology, Kirby described.

For months, the United States has accused North Korea of ​​supplying weapons to Russia for the war in Ukraine and sharply criticized the September 2023 meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin, of which no agreement has been made public.

As for Iran, Kirby indicated that US intelligence has information about Russian attempts to buy short-range ballistic missiles from Iran, although these negotiations are ongoing and not yet concluded.

“At this time, we do not believe that Iran has supplied Russia with short-range ballistic missiles. However, the United States is concerned that Russian negotiations to acquire short-range ballistic missiles from Iran are actively moving forward,” he said.

The United States has previously accused Iran of supplying Russia with drones for the war in Ukraine.