New York: According to a report viewed by the international news agency Reuters on Monday, United Nations sanctions monitors disclosed that the debris from a missile landing in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on January 2 belonged to a North Korean Hwasong-11 series ballistic missile. The monitors emphasized that this constitutes a breach of the arms embargo imposed on North Korea.
In their 32-page report, the UN sanctions monitors definitively stated, “Debris recovered from a missile that landed in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on 2 January 2024 derives from a DPRK Hwasong-11 series missile.”
North Korea, formally known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), has been subjected to UN sanctions for its nuclear and ballistic missile programs since 2006, with subsequent strengthening of these measures over time.
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No Russian Trace
Earlier this month, three sanctions monitors traveled to Ukraine to inspect the debris, confirming that it bore no indication of Russian origin. They were unable to determine the launch location or responsible party independently.
The monitors’ April 25 report to the Security Council’s North Korea sanctions committee indicated that Ukrainian authorities’ trajectory data suggested the missile was launched from within Russian territory. They suggested that if Russian forces were involved in the launch, it would likely implicate Russian nationals, constituting a breach of the North Korea arms embargo.
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Requests for comments on the report from the Russian and North Korean missions to the United Nations in New York were not immediately answered.
Amidst accusations from the US and others regarding North Korean weapons transfers to Russia for use against Ukraine, both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied involvement while affirming plans to enhance military cooperation.
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Hwasong-11
In February, during a UN Security Council meeting, the US accused Russia of utilizing DPRK-supplied ballistic missiles against Ukraine on multiple occasions.
The Hwasong-11 series ballistic missiles were first publicly tested by Pyongyang in 2019, according to the UN monitors.
Last month, Russia vetoed the annual renewal of the UN sanctions monitors—referred to as a panel of experts—responsible for monitoring compliance with UN sanctions on North Korea regarding its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The mandate for the current panel of experts will expire on Tuesday.
Following the January 2 attack, the Kharkiv region prosecutor’s office exhibited missile fragments to the media, asserting that they differed from Russian models and suggesting potential North Korean origin.
