North Korean Missile Landed In Ukraine's Kharkiv, Says UN: Report

The UN sanctions monitor said in its report submitted to Security Council committee that the missile landed in Kharkiv on January 2 was a North Korean Hwasong-11 series ballistic missile.

A pile of debris of the rocket that was fired at Kharkiv city on January 2, 2024. ( Image Source :Getty )

A missile that landed in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on January 2 was a North Korean Hwasong-11 series ballistic missile, United Nations sanctions monitors told a Security Council committee, as per a report by Reuters. 

"Debris recovered from a missile that landed in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on 2 January 2024 derives from a DPRK Hwasong-11 series missile," the UN sanctions monitor concluded in its 32-page report, adding that it violates the arms embargo on North Korea. 

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), or simply North Korea, has been under UN sanction since 2006, for its ballistic missile and nuclear programmes, which have been strengthened over the years. 

Three sanctions monitors reached Ukraine last month to examine the debris and found no evidence that Russia made the missile. The officials "could not independently identify where the missile was launched, nor by whom."

"Information on the trajectory provided by Ukrainian authorities indicates it was launched within the territory of the Russian Federation," stated the report published on April 25, as per Reuters report. 

"Such a location, if the missile were under the control of Russian forces, would probably indicate procurement by nationals of the Russian Federation," they added.

The Hwasong-11 series ballistic missiles were first publicly tested by DPRK in 2019, the UN monitors said.  

The United States and others have accused Pyongyang of transferring weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine. The accusations have been denied by both Russia and North Korea but vowed to deepen their military relations last year. 

The US has accused Russia of launching North Korea-supplied ballistic missiles against Ukraine on at least nine occasions. 

Last month, Russia vetoed the annual renewal of the UN sanctions monitors, which has monitored the enforcement of U.N. sanctions on North Korea for 15 years over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

The decision for the current panel of experts will expire on Tuesday, as per the Reuters report. 

Within days of the January 2 attack, the Kharkiv region prosecutor's office showed the fragments of the missile to the media and said it was different from Russian models and  "this may be a missile which was supplied by North Korea."