Almost half of DPRK missiles Russia launched at Ukraine explode midair

Nearly half of all North Korean missiles KN-23 (Hwasong-11) that Russia launched at Ukraine exploded in the air.

That’s according to the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine that responded to a Reuters enquiry, Ukrinform reports.

"About half of the North Korean missiles lost their programmed trajectories and exploded in the air; in such cases the debris was not recovered," the PGO said.

Ukrainian prosecutors have already examined debris from 21 of nearly 50 North Korean ballistic missiles launched by Russia between late December and late February.

The debris of the three of those was discovered in the Ukrainian capital and across Kyiv region, and other wreckage was found in Kharkiv, Poltava, Donetsk, and Kirovohrad regions.

In total, 24 people were killed and another 115 – injured in the Russian strikes involving N. Korean missiles that were first fired off on December 30, 2023. A number of residential buildings and industrial facilities sustained damage.

The Prosecutor General added that the last documented use of the North Korean KN-23 (Hwasong-11) missile by Russia was on February 27.

The agency noted that the total number of launches detected by law enforcement is in line with intelligence data, according to which North Korea delivered to Russia nearly 50 ballistic missiles.

The PGO added that currently, the inquiry is underway into whether Pyongyang deployed in Russia its instructors to observe the launches of its ballistic missiles.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the group of UN observers on compliance with sanctions against North Korea confirmed that after the Russian shelling of Kharkiv this January, fragments of the North Korean Hwasong-11 ballistic missile were discovered.