CAR confirms Russian use of North Korean weapons in Ukraine

UN Security Council briefed

Jonah Leff, Executive Director of Conflict Armament Research (CAR), has delivered a crucial briefing to the United Nations Security Council, reaffirming the ongoing use by Russia of newly produced North Korean missiles in the conflict in Ukraine.

This marks a significant update on the findings of CAR’s field investigations, which began documenting North Korean weapons in Ukraine earlier this year.

In June 2024, CAR first brought the issue to the attention of the UN Security Council after field investigators in Ukraine recovered and analysed the remnants of a ballistic missile that had struck Kharkiv on January 2.

CAR’s subsequent examination revealed that the missile had been manufactured by North Korea, making it the first public identification of such weaponry. This discovery raised serious concerns regarding North Korea’s continued involvement in global arms proliferation despite numerous UN sanctions aimed at curbing such activities.

Leff’s briefing on December 18, 20254, revealed that CAR’s investigation teams have continued to document missile remnants tied to North Korea throughout the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. This update also included evidence of missiles produced as recently as 2024, marking a mere few months between their manufacture and deployment in the war.

The existence of these missiles indicates that North Korea has maintained an active and ongoing missile production capacity, a matter of concern for global security.

Non-domestic components

Further complicating the situation, CAR has uncovered significant evidence that North Korea’s missile programme relies heavily on non-domestic components. In his remarks, Leff pointed out that the remnants documented by CAR’s teams contained numerous foreign-made parts.

These components were often sourced through third-party distributors, primarily in East Asia. While CAR has not yet identified all the specific sources of these parts, the organisation is actively tracing these component supply chains in cooperation with the broader industry to pinpoint where and how these critical materials are being diverted to support North Korea’s missile production.

The use of foreign-manufactured parts highlights a troubling loophole in the global sanctions regime, which aims to prevent the proliferation of missile technology and other weapons of mass destruction.

Despite the UN’s imposition of strict embargoes on North Korea’s arms trade since 2006, these sanctions appear to be increasingly ineffective in halting the country’s missile development and exports.

The fact that North Korean missiles continue to be found in Ukraine, often within months of their production, underscores the persistent challenge of enforcing global non-proliferation efforts. This situation is compounded by using non-domestic components, which further complicates identifying and disrupting North Korea’s missile supply chains.

Leff stressed that the ongoing use of North Korean missiles in Ukraine not only violates international law but also undermines the integrity of global non-proliferation regimes. The widespread availability and use of these missiles in active conflict zones, such as Ukraine, directly contravene the spirit of the UN embargoes and pose significant risks to regional and international security.

As these weapons continue to be deployed in Ukraine, CAR’s investigations will remain critical in documenting their presence and assessing the broader implications for global arms control.

Looking ahead, CAR has committed to continuing its investigations in Ukraine. The organisation’s field teams will monitor and report on any new developments regarding the use of North Korean weapons, including the ongoing use of ballistic missiles and other military systems.

Leff reiterated the importance of international cooperation in addressing the growing threat posed by the proliferation of North Korean arms and called for heightened vigilance and action from the UN and its member states to curb the further spread of such weaponry.

The use of North Korean missiles in Ukraine is not only a violation of UN sanctions but also represents a growing challenge to the effectiveness of international arms control measures.

As North Korea’s missile programme expands, the global community will need to address the systemic issues that allow such proliferation to continue, particularly the trade in foreign-made components that sustain these weapons.

With CAR’s ongoing efforts to trace and expose these illicit networks, the international community may gain a clearer understanding of how North Korean arms are reaching conflict zones and how best to prevent their further spread.

Hero image: Jonah Leff, Executive Director of Conflict Armament Research, briefs the UN Security Council on December 18, 2024. Credit: CAR