Kyiv:
Ukraine’s security service (SBU) said on Thursday it had determined that Russia had used North Korean missiles in multiple attacks that killed more than 20 people.
The United States warned in January that North Korea was sending ballistic missiles and launchers to Russia and called Pyongyang’s escalating support for Moscow worrisome.
The SBU said: “According to investigations, the Russian military dropped more than 20 North Korean weapons over Ukraine… At least 24 civilians were killed and more than 100 people were seriously injured.”
It identified the weapons as “Hwasong-11 ballistic missiles” and posted images of the fragments on Telegram.
The SBU said the missiles were used in attacks on the southern Zaporozhye region in late December and on the capital Kiev in January.
Russia also launched missiles in the frontline areas of Donetsk and Kharkiv.
The SBU added that “comprehensive measures are being taken to identify all the circumstances of the crime and bring the perpetrators to justice”, including “the logistical routes for the supply of weapons”.
Nearly 50 countries, including the United States, European countries, South Korea and Japan, condemned the alleged diversion in a statement in January.
Traditional allies Russia and North Korea have recently re-strengthened ties, with Pyongyang leader Kim Jong Un making a rare overseas trip in September to meet President Vladimir Putin in Russia’s far east.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
