A North Korean missile unit is reportedly being deployed to western Russia with up to 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers, potentially for attacks on Ukraine.
Kyiv is running low on advanced air defenses, allowing Russia to increase attacks with hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing a Ukrainian military intelligence official.
Ukraine’s intelligence said Russia plans to station about 90 North Korean missile personnel with its 112th Missile Brigade in the Voronezh region.
North Korea has reportedly sent 40 KN-23 and KN-24 missiles and personnel to Russia, with plans for a larger deployment of up to 120 missiles and six launchers still under discussion. The exact role of North Korean personnel in Russian missile operations remains unclear.
The reported deployment coincides with Russia launching its first two North Korean missiles at Ukraine since last August, marking a potential expansion of military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang beyond missile supplies.
Trump Wavers on Patriot Plan
The U.S. is continuing talks to help Ukraine produce Patriot interceptor missiles, including manufacturing some components in Ukraine for final assembly in Europe, despite President Donald Trump‘s skepticism about the arrangement, as per another Reuters report.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine has run out of Patriot interceptors, with only one of 27 Russian ballistic missiles intercepted on Saturday. During his last month’s meeting with Trump, Zelenskyy stressed Ukraine needs the interceptors immediately and is seeking 300 Patriot systems by winter.
Ukraine’s ambassador, Olha Stefanishyna, said on Thursday that Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT), the manufacturer of the PAC-3 interceptor, had committed to expanding cooperation with Ukraine.
Although Trump had previously indicated the U.S. would allow Ukraine to manufacture PAC-3 missiles, he later said no such agreement had been reached and stressed caution about permitting their production. He told reporters, “There’s people that you give that technology, they can someday turn on you.”
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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