Russian resurgence: KN‑23 ballistic missiles bombarding Ukraine again
After a break of a few months, the Russians are once again bombarding Ukrainian cities with KN-23 ballistic missiles. The Ukrainians are unsure why the invaders stopped using them for a long time. However, they suggest it may be related to the low quality of this North Korean weapon.
On Sunday, August 11, at around 6:00 AM ET, the Ukrainian Air Force confirmed that within a week, the Russians had used four ballistic missiles produced by North Korea. Based on the debris analysis, all of them are KN-23 ballistic missiles (also known as Hwasong-11Ga).
KN-23 ballistic missiles in service of the Russians
Due to the specifications declared by the designers, this weapon is often compared to Russian Iskanders. Theoretically, it provides an even slightly greater range, reaching 640 kilometres. These are solid-fuel ballistic missiles. Each measures approximately 9 metres in length and weighs about 3,400 kilograms.
American intelligence reported some time ago that Russia could have received an unspecified number of North Korean ballistic missiles as early as October 2023. The last documented case of their use before the several-month break occurred on February 27. The attacks using KN-23 ballistic missiles were resumed by the Russians only on July 31 of this year and continued at the beginning of August.
Low quality of North Korean missiles
The Ukrainian portal Defense Express indicated two potential reasons for the Russians' five-month break in using KN-23 ballistic missiles. One could have been the desire to prepare a new tactic (e.g., using this weapon in specific, generally massed attacks on important targets, such as Kyiv), and the other the low quality of North Korean missiles and the necessity of their inspection and refinement.
Previously, Ukrainian analysts estimated that even half of the North Korean missiles did not reach their targets. Some have very large deviations, and others fail in the air. The command of the Ukrainian Air Force also believes that the ally is supplying Russia with defective weapons.
As for the Russian attacks with North Korean missiles, the following can be said: "KN-23 ballistic missiles, although they rarely reach the desired targets, pose a serious threat to the population," the command of the Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement.
