KN-23 Mobile SRBM / 9K720 Iskander-M
The KN-23 [Hwasong-11]missile is similar to the Iskander & carries a 500 kg warhead. Its range is 690 km. Ballistic missiles from the DPRK were used by Russia to attack Zaporizhzhia in Ukraiane on 29 December 2023 and Kharkiv in Ukraine on 02 January 2024. "North Korean technical advisers may be present in Russia to advise on the use of these systems," said Ankit Panda from the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. In November 2022, South Korean authorities said North Korea may have supplied SRBMs to Russia as part of a larger arms deal that also included anti-tank and anti-air missiles, artillery and mortar shells, and rifles.
During a briefing on the 02 January 2023 Russian attack on Kharkiv that killed two civilians and injured 62 others, the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, Oleh Sinegubov, said that fragments of missiles not of Russian manufacture were found at the sites of the crash. According to him, these are the remains of Iskander-M missiles with carefully erased markings. "We are now conducting all the necessary research to establish the country of manufacture. I will say in advance that the markings have been erased from these missiles. However, what we can see is that the country of manufacture is not the Russian Federation, so to speak. When we have more precise information from the General Staff, from our intelligence, we will report it immediately," Ukrinform quoted Syniehubov as saying.
Joost Oliemans, a Dutch researcher and expert on North Korea's military, said images from Ukrainian social media accounts clearly show fragments of the ring housing the control vanes that are characteristic of North Korea's Hwasong-11 family of missiles. Oliemans asserted that, despite external characteristics, this missile family does not seem to be substantially linked to the Russian 9K720 Iskander. Instead, it is identified as an indigenous North Korean development.
Dr. Jeffrey Lewis stated "Yes, that's definitely debris from a North Korean KN-23 in Ukraine, not a Russian Iskander.... The case for the Russian missile that struck Kharkiv on January 2 being a North Koran Hwasong-11 variant is a very, very strong.... The top of the motor has a metal plate covering the access port for the igniter. The North Koreans bolt that plate on the Hwasong-11 A/B with 20 evenly spaced bolts. The Russians use 18 bolts in six groups of three for Iskander. The debris has 20 evenly spaced bolts.... a variant of the Hwasong-11 has an irregular pattern of fastening points around the edge of the casing at the top of the motor. The pattern on the debris matches perfectly."
"Our information indicates that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea recently provided Russia with ballistic missile launchers and several [dozen] ballistic missiles. On the 30th of December 2023, Russian forces launched at least one of these North Korean ballistic missiles into Ukraine. This missile appears to have landed in an open field in the Zaporizhzhia region. And on January 2nd, Russia launched multiple North Korean ballistic missiles into Ukraine, including as part of its overnight aerial attack. We’re still assessing the impacts of these additional missiles.." NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said at a Press Briefing 04 January 2024.
"Over the course of five days around the New Year’s holiday, Russia launched repeated waves of aerial attacks against Ukraine. These massive bombardments used drones and missiles to strike cities and civilian infrastructure all across the country. Strikes reportedly hit a maternity hospital, a shopping mall, residential areas — killing dozens of innocent people and injuring hundreds more
"As Russia continues to launch these brutal attacks, the United States has new information to share about the support that Russia is receiving from third countries. Due in part to our sanctions and export controls, Russia has become increasingly isolated on the world stage and they’ve been forced to look to likeminded states for military equipment. As we’ve been warning publicly, one of those states is North Korea.
"We’re releasing a graphic here, which you can see behind me, that documents the launch of these missiles from Russia into Ukraine. And as you can see, the graphic shows the area from which Russia launched the North Korean-supplied ballistic missiles on those two dates as well as the impact location inside Ukraine of the missile that was launched on the 30th of December. And, as I said, we’re still assessing the impacts of the other additional missiles that were launched on the 2nd.
"We expect Russia and North Korea to learn from these launches, and we anticipate that Russia will use additional North Korean missiles to target Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and to kill innocent Ukrainian civilians. These North Korean ballistic missiles are capable of ranges of approximately 900 kilometers. That’s about 550 miles. This is a significant and concerning escalation in the DPRK’s support for Russia.
"Now, in return for its support, we assess that Pyongyang is seeking military assistance from Russia, including fighter aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, armored vehicles, ballistic missile production equipment or materials, and other advanced technologies. This would have concerning security implications for the North — I’m sorry — for the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region.
"We’ve also said publicly that Russia is seeking to acquire close-range ballistic missiles from Iran. At this time, we do not believe that Iran has delivered close-range ballistic missiles to Russia. However, the United States is concerned that Russian negotiations to acquire close-range ballistic missiles from Iran are actively advancing.
"According to press reporting, in September of 2023, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps — the IRGC — hosted Russian Defense Minister Shoigu in Iran and showcased its Ababil close-range ballistic missile and other missile systems. This event marked the first public display of ballistic missiles to a senior Russian official visiting Iran since February of 2022.
"More recently, in mid-December, the IRGC Aerospace Force deployed multiple ballistic missile and missile support systems to a training area inside Iran for display to a visiting Russian delegation. We assess that Russia intends to purchase missile systems from Iran.
"So, in response to Russia’s activities with Iran and North Korea, we are taking a range of steps with our allies and our partners.
"First, Russia’s procurement of ballistic missiles from the DPRK directly violates multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions. We will raise these arms deals at the U.N. Security Council alongside our allies and partners, and we will demand that Russia be held accountable for yet again violating its international obligations.
"Second, we will impose additional sanctions against those working to facilitate arms transfers between Russia and the DPRK and between Russia and Iran.
"Third, we will continue to release information to the public and expose these arms deals, as we are doing today, because we will not allow countries to aid Russia’s war machine in secret....
"Russia is relying upon its friends to replenish its military stockpiles and enable its war against Ukraine. Iran and the DPRK are standing with Russia. Ukrainians deserve to know that the American people and this government will continue to stand with them. So, it’s critical that Congress meets this moment and responds by providing Ukraine with what they need to defend themselves. The time for Congress to act is now.""
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