Russia plans to deploy a missile unit staffed by North Korean military personnel in the Voronezh region, according to Andriy Chernyak, a representative of Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), as reported by Reuters.
The unit, numbering about 90 personnel, will be incorporated into the 112th Missile Brigade. Chernyak said the unit could receive up to 120 North Korean ballistic missiles and six launchers for strikes against Ukraine.
Pyongyang has already sent Russia a new batch of 40 KN-23 and KN-24 missiles, along with personnel. Final details of the deployment and the total number of missiles are expected to be agreed during negotiations next month, Chernyak said.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said North Korean launchers would become legitimate targets for Ukrainian forces. "First of all, these launchers, if they are deployed, must be destroyed. They immediately become a legitimate military target," he said.
In late July, Russia used North Korean ballistic missiles against Ukraine for the first time in 12 months. Chernyak said the missiles came from the new batch of 40. President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that such a missile was used in an attack on the village of Radushne near Kryvyi Rih, where a family with multiple children was killed.
According to Chernyak, about 9,500 North Korean troops are in the Kursk region but are not currently taking a direct part in combat. In late July, Zelensky said preparations were underway to deploy 30,000 North Korean soldiers in the Voronezh region.