Reportedly, remnants from a missile's descent onto Kharkiv, Ukraine, on January 2 have been identified as originating from a North Korean Hwasong-11 series ballistic missile, according to United Nations sanctions monitors briefing a Security Council committee.
In their comprehensive 32-page dossier, the monitors assert, "Fragments retrieved from the Kharkiv incident point to a DPRK Hwasong-11 series missile, contravening the arms embargo against North Korea." The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has been subject to UN sanctions since 2006 due to its persistent ballistic missile and nuclear pursuits, with sanctions progressively reinforced over time.
A delegation of three monitors conducted an onsite inspection in Ukraine earlier in the month, determining no evidence of Russian manufacture of the missile. They admitted an inability to pinpoint the launch origin or perpetrator independently.
Ukrainian authorities' trajectory data suggests a launch within Russian territory, as outlined in the monitors' report to the UNSC's North Korea sanctions committee dated April 25. The report suggests potential involvement of Russian nationals, if the missile was under Russian control, constituting a breach of the North Korea arms embargo.
Neither the Russian nor North Korean UN missions immediately responded to requests for comment on the monitors' findings.
Amidst accusations of North Korea transferring weaponry to Russia for deployment against Ukraine since the full-scale invasion in February 2022, both Moscow and Pyongyang have refuted such claims, despite pledges to bolster military ties made the previous year.
During a Security Council assembly in February, the US accused Russia of launching DPRK-supplied ballistic missiles against Ukraine on at least nine occasions.
The monitors highlight that Pyongyang initially showcased the Hwasong-11 series ballistic missiles in public tests back in 2019.
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