Heavy North Korean KN-30 missiles put seven Ukrainian oblasts in danger zone

Russia is set to escalate ballistic missile strikes against seven Ukrainian regions, using North Korean KN-23, KN-24, and KN-30 systems stationed in Voronezh Oblast, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on August 20. Ukraine's Military Intelligence (HUR) confirmed to Ukrainska Pravda that Pyongyang had transferred around 50 ballistic missiles, including KN-23, KN-24, and KN-30 variants, to Moscow as of July.

The KN-30 is a more advanced version of the KN-23 and can carry a payload of up to 2,500 kilograms. However, there is no definitive evidence yet that Russia has used KN-30 missiles in strikes against Ukraine. Analysts noted that Russian forces have begun deploying six specialized launchers for North Korean missiles in Voronezh Oblast, capable of launching a total of 120 missiles.

These systems have the range to reach targets in Sumy, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Poltava, Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhya oblasts. Military expert Anatoliy Khrapchynskyi stated that Russia typically deploys only a fraction of its available launchers in a single strike campaign. While Russia has approximately 160 Iskander launchers capable of carrying two missiles each, Russian forces average 16 to 26 missiles per barrage.

The North Korean missiles, in contrast, have a wider margin of error, with their warheads weighing up to one ton, creating larger blast craters and more powerful shockwaves. On July 30, 2026, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Russian forces reportedly resumed the use of North Korean-manufactured missiles in an attack on Radushne near Kryvyi Rih, which resulted in the deaths of an entire family.

This deployment suggests that Moscow received fresh arms shipments from Pyongyang. HUR representative Andrii Chernyak stated that North Korea has deployed an active missile unit in western Russia, equipped with six launchers and 120 ballistic missiles, to carry out strikes against Ukraine. Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha warned that any North Korean military unit deployed within the territory of Russia's aggressor state would be a legitimate target for Ukrainian Defense Forces.