Russia-North Korea military cooperation in Ukraine war
The developments in this story so far, most recent first.
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· date approximate Development
North Korea sends missile unit to Russia as Putin tries to exploit Ukraine weakness
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North Korea supplied 150 missiles to Russia between late 2023 and August 2025.
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Vladimir Putin visited Kim Jong Un.
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North Korea tested a ballistic missile on its coast.
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North Korea and Russia signed a mutual defence pact.
North Korea has emerged as a close ally of Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. As part of this expanding military cooperation, the two powers signed a mutual defence pact in 2024.
The Kremlin and North Korea have described their growing military cooperation as consistent with their existing bilateral agreements.
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· date approximate Background
Russia began firing KN-23 and KN-24 missiles at Ukraine.
Towards the end of 2023, Russia began firing North Korean KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles at Ukraine. According to Ukrainian military sources, these missiles possess a greater range and larger payload than Russia's equivalent Iskander missiles, though they are noted to be much less accurate and have been linked to strikes with high civilian death tolls.
The use of these ballistic missiles aligns with a pattern in which Russia has attempted to utilize weapons that can only be intercepted by U.S.-made Patriot air defence systems. This strategy exploits Ukraine's shortage of high-end air defences, as ballistic missiles are particularly difficult to shoot down.