The War&Sanctions portal has revealed new evidence of foreign-made components found in North Korean KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles. Among these, the KN-23/KN-24 missile deployed by russia against Ukraine contained parts from companies in five countries: China, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland.
Alarmingly, one such component, a voltage converter produced by the UK-based company XP Power, was manufactured as recently as February 2023, well after russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.
Read more: North Korea Produces Only Metal for Its KN-23 Ballistic Missiles, but russia Uses Them for Terror
This revelation underscores how russia, North Korea, and Iran continue to exploit shared networks to bypass international sanctions, acquiring critical technologies to fuel their weapons programs. These circumvention strategies highlight the urgent need for enhanced export control mechanisms and stricter enforcement of existing sanctions.
Russia has received over 100 KN-23/KN-24 missiles from North Korea, first employing them in Ukraine in late 2023. Alongside these missiles, Pyongyang also deployed military specialists to support launch systems and directly contribute to the war effort, including potential war crimes.
The human cost of these missiles has been devastating. North Korean KN-23/KN-24 strikes have repeatedly targeted civilian areas, causing widespread destruction and loss of life. Notable incidents include the January 2, 2024, missile strike on a residential building in Kyiv, which killed four civilians, and the August 11, 2024, attack in Kyiv region, where debris killed a four-year-old boy and his father and injured three others.
The presence of foreign-made components in these weapons demands immediate global attention. Nations must not only close loopholes in their export controls but also impose stricter measures on entities found to be supplying parts to sanctioned states.
Read more: Defense Express’ Weekly Review: russia and China Produce One Drone, Ukraine Eliminates russian and North Korean Officials in Kursk Region, the U.S. Must Provide Ukraine with the SM-6 Missiles
