The United States has alleged that over the course of five days around the New Year’s holiday, Russia launched repeated waves of aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities using ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea.
This was disclosed by NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby at a White House news conference.
“These massive bombardments used drones and missiles to strike cities and civilian infrastructure all across the country. Strikes reportedly hit a maternity hospital, a shopping mall, residential areas — killing dozens of innocent people and injuring hundreds more,” he told reporters.
Kirby said the United States has new information to share about the support that Russia is receiving from third countries in its ongoing war against Ukraine.
Due in part to U.S. sanctions and export controls, Russia has become increasingly isolated on the world stage and they have been forced to look to likeminded states for military equipment. “As we’ve been warning publicly, one of those states is North Korea,” according to Kirby.
He added that the information Washington received indicates that Pyongyang recently provided Russia with ballistic missile launchers and dozens of ballistic missiles.
On December 30, Russian forces launched at least one of these North Korean ballistic missiles into Ukraine. It apparently landed in an open field in the Zaporizhzhia region.
And on January 2, Russia launched multiple North Korean ballistic missiles into Ukraine, including as part of its overnight aerial attack. The U.S. is still assessing the impacts of these additional missiles.
Kirby displayed before reporters a graphic that documents the launch of those missiles from Russia into Ukraine.
It shows the area from which Russia launched the North Korean-supplied ballistic missiles on those two dates as well as the impact location inside Ukraine.
The top U.S. security official said the Biden administration fears Russia will use additional North Korean ballistic missiles, having ranges of approximately 550 miles, to target Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and to kill innocent civilians in the coming days.
Washington’s assessment is that in return for its support, Pyongyang is seeking military assistance from Moscow, including fighter aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, armored vehicles, ballistic missile production equipment or materials, and other advanced technologies. “This would have concerning security implications for the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region”.
Kirby also expressed concern that Russian negotiations to acquire close-range ballistic missiles from Iran are actively advancing, and that Russia intends to purchase missile systems from Iran.
In mid-December, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force had deployed multiple ballistic missile and missile support systems to a training area inside Iran for display to a visiting Russian delegation.
Kirby said the U.S. will raise these arms deals at the U.N. Security Council alongside ITS allies and partners, and will demand that Russia be held accountable for yet again violating its international obligations.
He also warned that the U.S. will impose additional sanctions against those working to facilitate arms transfers between Russia and North Korea, and between Russia and Iran.
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