Russia relies on “sparkler” in the Ukraine war

Western states condemn Russia's use of missiles from North Korea in the Ukraine war. What makes ballistic missiles so dangerous?

Kiev/Moscow – After Russia apparently fired ballistic missiles from North Korea in its recent air strikes on Ukraine, Western experts are warning of a new development in the Ukraine war. With the help of like-minded states, Moscow could quickly gain superiority in the war, especially given the falling arms supplies to Ukraine. According to US information, the impact of the additional missiles is currently being assessed.

The Russian use of ballistic missiles from North Korea was initially confirmed by the USA on Thursday (January 5). The National Security Council's communications director, John Kirby, spoke of missiles with a range of around 900 kilometers. Kirby did not say what type of rocket was used in the air strikes on Kiev and other regions in Ukraine. However, he published a graphic that, according to information from the news agency Reuters so-called KN-23 and KN-25 short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs).

Russia relies on North Korea's “sparkler” – KN missiles pose new challenges for Ukraine

Both short-range missiles are manufactured in North Korea. The KN-23 is approximately 7.5 meters long and has a range of up to 690 kilometers. It shares similarities with the Russian Iskander-M, which has a similar range, trajectory and payload. The KN-23's low trajectory is particularly advantageous as the missile can maneuver better and is therefore more difficult to detect by the enemy – an advantage in combat. According to a report from CSIS Missile Defense Project However, it is not known whether the missile also has the sophisticated guidance systems required for precise target acquisition after evasive maneuvers.

The KN-23 is also a solid fuel rocket. This means that instead of liquid fuel, solid fuel material is used, which is always in the rocket and therefore does not have to be stored separately and then refueled. The Mirror He also compares the rocket to a kind of “sparkler”, as the rocket burns evenly according to the same principle.

The KN-25 missile is a slightly larger missile than the KN-23, at about 8.6 meters, according to CSIS information. It is said to have a range of 380 kilometers. While North Korean state media described the missile as a “super-large” multiple launch missile system (MLRS), the United States of Korea Armed Forces (USFK) classified the missile as a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) due to its size and range. It is believed that the KN-25 and KN-23 can carry normal as well as nuclear warheads. Ex-Russian President Dmitri Medvedev only warned again on Thursday (January 11th) of a nuclear attack on Ukraine.

Ukraine war: Use of missiles from North Korea sparks discussion about arms deliveries

Military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang had long been feared, but now it appears to be a certainty. “This is a significant and troubling escalation of North Korean support for Russia,” Kirby said Thursday. “We are still in the process of assessing the effects of these additional missiles.” Russia and North Korea are likely to learn a lot from these launches and continue to improve their weapons. There are also indications that talks between Moscow and Tehran about the delivery of missiles are being advanced. Both could be Ukraine's downfall.

According to US information, Russian forces fired at least one North Korean ballistic missile into Ukraine on December 30. According to observations, this is said to have struck in an open field in the southern Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia. During the attack on Kiev last Tuesday (January 2nd), Russia fired more North Korean missiles.

The appearance of missiles from North Korea in the war zone is likely to cause the discussion about longer-range weapons for Ukraine to flare up again – for example Taurus cruise missiles from Germany or long-range ATACMS from the USA. The first German aid package for 2024 contained ammunition for the medium-range variant of the Iris-T air defense system as well as a Skynex air defense system for short ranges, as the federal government announced. (nz with dpa information)