UN Confirms North Korean Ballistic Missile Landed In Ukraine's Kharkiv In January Amid War With Russia

A missile that landed in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Jan. 2, has been identified as a North Korean Hwasong-11 series ballistic missile by United Nations sanctions monitors.

What Happened: The UN sanctions monitors presented their findings to a Security Council committee, Reuters reported on Monday. The 32-page report confirmed that the missile debris found in Kharkiv was from a North Korean Hwasong-11 series missile, violating the arms embargo on North Korea.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), or North Korea, has been under UN sanctions since 2006 due to its ballistic missile and nuclear programs. The sanctions have been strengthened over time.

Three sanctions monitors visited Ukraine earlier this month to inspect the debris. They found no evidence that the missile was made by Russia and could not identify the launch source. However, they noted that the trajectory information provided by Ukrainian authorities suggested it was launched within Russian territory.

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The report also mentioned that if the missile was under Russian control, it could indicate procurement by Russian nationals, which would be a breach of the North Korean arms embargo.

Both the Russian and North Korean missions to the UN in New York have not yet responded to the report. The US and other nations have previously accused North Korea of supplying weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine.

Why It Matters: The remains of the missile used by Russia in Ukraine were earlier traced back to U.S. companies. In April, the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, expressed concern over the military aid that Russia's defense sector is receiving from North Korea, Iran, and China.

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