A North Korean missile unit is beginning to deploy in western Russia and could be equipped with 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers for strikes against Ukraine, Andriy Chernyak of Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate said, Reuters reported.
According to him, Russia plans to deploy the missile unit, consisting of about 90 North Korean servicemen, to the western Russian Voronezh region as part of its 112th missile brigade.
Pyongyang has already sent a new batch of 40 KN-23 and KN-24 missiles to Russia, as well as personnel, but the parameters and total number of missiles will be finalized at high-level talks next month, Chernyak added.
The North Korean missile division includes 120 North Korean ballistic missiles and six launchers, he said.
Chernyak also commented on last week's strikes with North Korean ballistic missiles by Russia, saying this was the first time their use had been recorded since August 2025, and that they were carried out with missiles from the new batch of KN-23 and KN-24 missiles.
The North Korean KN-23 and KN-24 missiles have a longer range and a heavier warhead than their Russian counterpart, the "Iskander", but are less accurate and have been associated with strikes that have resulted in a large number of civilian casualties, Ukrainian military sources say.
The use of KN-23/24 missiles is fits into the trend of Russia relying more on ballistic missiles like the "Iskander" 9M723, which can only be intercepted by the American Patriot air defense systems.
Russia began firing KN-23 and KN-24 missiles at Ukraine in late 2023. North Korea delivered 150 of these missiles between late 2023 and August 2025, Andriy Chernyak also said.
According to him, there are about 9,500 North Korean servicemen in Russia's Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, but they are not currently directly involved in hostilities against Ukraine.
Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Kremlin wants North Korea to send another 30,000 soldiers and that preparations are underway in the Voronezh region to receive them.