Russia Strikes Kharkiv with North Korean Hwasong-11Ga (KN-23) Missiles
7 February, 2024 Wreckage of Hwasong-11Ga (KN-23). Photo credits: Serhii Bolvinov The Russians used two North Korean Hwasong-11Ga (KN-23) ballistic missiles to strike Kharkiv.
Serhii Bolvinov, Chief Police Investigator in the Kharkiv region, announced this. It is reported that the Russians fired five missiles at Kharkiv. The strikes on the Slobidskyi district of Kharkiv damaged buildings in the industrial zone.
Two men, aged 59 and 64, and a 52-year-old woman were injured; they are employees of the companies that were hit by Russian missiles.
Wreckage of Hwasong-11Ga (KN-23). Photo credits: Serhii Bolvinov
On January 10, Militarnyi reported that during the attacks on January 6, Russian troops once again launched several North Korean ballistic missiles at Kharkiv. The Russians first used Hwasong-11Ga during large-scale combined strikes on December 30, 2023, and January 2, 2024.
Investigators from the Conflict Armament Research (CAR) international organization examined the remains of the missiles and determined that this missile was manufactured in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). CAR investigators also compared the features of this missile with those of similar systems manufactured by the Russian Federation.
The KN-23 missile of North Korea. Photo credits: DPRK mass media
For example, CAR identified several properties that clearly differentiate this missile from the Russian-made Iskander system.
One distinction relates to tail sections: the North Korean missile's tail section has a diameter of 110 cm, while the Iskander's is smaller, at around 95 cm. On a barometer documented in Ukraine as part of the missile wreckage, CAR investigators observed a label with the handwritten Korean (Hangul) character '?'. CAR investigators documented the presence of the mark '112' on several different components found in the missile wreckage.
This mark may refer to the 'February 11' plant in North Korea, where these missiles are reportedly assembled.