Formerly recognized as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), North Korea has been subjected to U.N. sanctions due to its ballistic missile and nuclear programs since 2006, with these measures progressively reinforced over time.
In April, three sanctions monitors visited Ukraine to examine the debris and concluded that there was no evidence indicating the missile was of Russian origin. They were unable to ascertain the launch location or responsible party independently.
According to an April 25 report submitted to the Security Council’s North Korea sanctions committee, information provided by Ukrainian authorities suggested that the missile was launched from within Russian territory. If the missile was under Russian control, it would likely implicate Russian nationals in violation of the arms embargo imposed on North Korea since 2006.
The Russian and North Korean missions to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report by the sanctions monitors.
Despite accusations from the U.S. and others alleging North Korea’s transfer of weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine, both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied these claims, though they pledged to strengthen military ties last year.
During a U.N. Security Council meeting in February, the U.S. accused Russia of launching DPRK-supplied ballistic missiles against Ukraine on multiple occasions.
The monitors identified the Hwasong-11 series ballistic missiles, first publicly tested by Pyongyang in 2019, as the type used.
Last month, Russia vetoed the annual renewal of the U.N. sanctions monitors, known as a panel of experts, which has monitored the enforcement of U.N. sanctions on North Korea for 15 years. The mandate for the current panel of experts will expire on Tuesday.
Following the January 2 attack, the Kharkiv region prosecutor’s office displayed missile fragments to the media, stating that they differed from Russian models and suggesting that the missile may have been supplied by North Korea.
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