Russian forces use North Korean KN‑23 missiles in Kharkiv attacks, experts reveal

Military news outlets reported that the missiles were launched towards Kharkiv on Wednesday morning, February 7. The missile attack resulted in damage to buildings in the industrial zone. Upon examining the weaponry used by Russians, specialists identified two missiles. Preliminary inspections indicated that these missiles were not of Russian production.

Experts elucidated that the Russians employed Hwasong-11Ga (KN-23) ballistic missiles from North Korea. This conclusion was derived based on the remnants found in the area affected by the shelling. It's worth noting that this is not the first instance of the aggressive force's use of this class of weapon in their assaults on Ukraine. The KN-23s were first used in large-scale shelling incidents on December 30, 2023, and January 2, 2024.

To refresh your memory, the KN-23 missiles are formidable armaments employed by Russians in recent weeks. Earlier, an expert from Defense Express, Valeriy Riabych, appraised KN-23 as a "very serious missile". This observation primarily stems from the fact that this North Korean ammunition can carry a warhead weighing 1102 lbs, reaching farther than an Iskander missile. Until now, Ukrainians have recorded that a KN-23 can easily cover an impressive distance of 397 miles.

It's pertinent to note that the Hwasong-11Ga ballistic missile (known officially as the KN-23) is one of the weapons about which little information is readily available online. However, public records suggest that the KN-23 closely resembles the Russian Iskander-M from the outside. It measures approximately 29.5 ft in length and 3.3 ft in diameter. Designed in 2018, this solid-fuel short-range missile is powered by the same propulsion unit as its older counterpart, the KN-11. The top speed of this missile remains a mystery.

Information disseminated by American intelligence suggests that Moscow may have received an undisclosed number of ballistic missiles from North Korea last year – including KN-23 and likely also KN-24.