Research expert tells UN it has 'irrefutably' established missile debris in Ukraine is North Korean

Source: Associated Press

Research expert tells UN it has ‘irrefutably’ established missile debris in Ukraine is North Korean

BY EDITH M. LEDERER
Updated 10:51 PM EDT, June 28, 2024

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The head of a research organization that has been tracing weapons used in attacks in Ukraine since 2018 told the United Nations Security Council on Friday it has “irrefutably” established that ballistic missile remnants found in Ukraine came from North Korea.

The United States and its Western allies clashed with Russia and North Korea at the meeting, saying both countries violated a U.N. embargo on arms exports from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the country’s official name. Russia dismissed the “baseless accusations,” and the DPRK dismissed the meeting as “an extremely brazen act” to discuss “someone’s alleged ‘weapon transfers.’”

Jonah Leff, executive director of Conflict Armament Research, gave the council a detailed analysis of the remnants of the missile that struck Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, on Jan. 2.

He said the organization documented the missile’s rocket motor, its tail section and almost 300 components manufactured by 26 companies from eight countries and territories, and it determined the missile was either a KN-23 or KN-24 manufactured in 2023 in the DPRK.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-north-korea-russia-ukraine-weapons-f4b9342c31b345641e058f38485478e7