by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Ukraine faced mounting pressure Friday amid reports that a North Korean missile unit had begun deploying to western Russia and could be equipped with 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers for strikes against Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence.

Ukraine is critically short of advanced air-defense systems, and Russia has sought to exploit that vulnerability by increasingly relying on ballistic missiles, which are among the most difficult weapons to intercept.

Russia has fired dozens of North Korean ballistic missiles at Ukraine since late 2023, but the reported deployment of a North Korean missile unit would mark a significant expansion of military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.

Andrii Cherniak of Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence said Russia planned to station about 90 North Korean personnel with its 112th Missile Brigade in Russia’s Voronezh region. He said Pyongyang had already sent another 40 KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles, with the final deployment expected to include 120 missiles and six launchers.

A source familiar with the matter told Reuters news agency that the United States was aware of the reported deployment but declined to elaborate. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) declined to comment, while the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Russia’s Defense Ministry and North Korea’s mission to the United Nations also did not immediately respond.

NORTH KOREAN MISSILE WORRIES

It remains unclear what role North Korean personnel would play in Russian missile operations.

However, military analyst Rob Lee of the Foreign Policy Research Institute warned that any increase in ballistic missiles would pose a major challenge because “ballistic missile defense is one of Ukraine’s greatest vulnerabilities,” especially ahead of winter, when Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s power grid.

Cherniak said the reported deployment coincided with Russia’s use last week of its first North Korean ballistic missiles against Ukraine since August 2025.

He added that North Korea has supplied about 150 KN-23 and KN-24 missiles since late 2023.

The KN-23 and KN-24 have a longer range and larger payload than Russia’s Iskander missile, though Ukrainian military officials say they are less accurate and have been linked to strikes causing high civilian casualties.

UKRAINE DEFENSES UNDER PRESSURE

North Korea has become one of Russia’s closest military partners since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The two countries signed a mutual defense pact in 2024, and Pyongyang has since supplied millions of artillery shells, ballistic missiles, and an estimated 14,000 troops to support Russia’s war effort.

Cherniak said around 9,500 North Korean troops remain in Russia’s Kursk region, though they are not currently believed to be directly involved in combat operations against Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last month that Russia was preparing to receive another 30,000 North Korean troops and additional ballistic missile launchers in the Voronezh region.

South Korea has said it is closely monitoring reports of expanding military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang but has not confirmed a new deployment.

RUSSIA-NORTH KOREA ALLIANCE

The developments came as Ukraine continued mourning victims of one of the deadliest Russian attacks on the Kyiv region this year.

Russian ballistic missiles and drones struck warehouses, logistics centers, businesses, and other civilian sites Wednesday, killing 17 people and injuring more than 40 others.

The United Nations says the war is becoming increasingly deadly for civilians.

At least 1,396 civilians were killed and 7,978 injured during the first six months of 2026, a 37 percent increase from the same period last year, driven largely by intensified Russian missile and drone attacks, according to U.N. estimates.

Ukraine has responded by striking military and energy-related targets deep inside Russia with long-range drones.

HITTING OIL AND OTHER ASSETS

Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces recently hit oil facilities, naval targets, and other military assets.

However, Russia said its air defenses intercepted hundreds of Ukrainian drones. Neither side’s battlefield claims could be independently verified.

However, Zelenskyy announced plans to accelerate development of Ukraine’s own ballistic missiles and a European anti-ballistic missile defense system under the Freyja program.

The initiative is aiming at reducing reliance on foreign-supplied U.S. produced Patriots, amid concerns in Washington over dwindling stockpiles, due in part to the ongoing war with Iraq and other armed conflicts.

“We need concrete results,” Zelenskyy said, expressing hope that Ukraine could begin fielding elements of the new missile defense capability by late 2026 or early 2027.

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