Kyiv warns North Korean missile systems will be targeted if used against Ukraine

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said on Wednesday that North Korean missile launchers deployed in Russia would become legitimate targets for Ukrainian forces if they were used to strike Ukraine.

“If North Korean missile systems are deployed on the territory of the Russian Federation, they will become legitimate targets for the Ukrainian military,” Sybiha said at a joint news conference in Kyiv with Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze.

Sybiha's remarks followed reports in US media, citing Ukrainian military intelligence official Andriy Chernyak, that a North Korean missile unit had begun deploying in Russia’s Voronezh region.

The reports have not been independently verified, and neither Moscow nor Pyongyang has publicly confirmed the reported deployment.

The Kremlin and North Korea have described their expanding military cooperation as consistent with their bilateral agreements, while Ukraine and its Western partners have criticized the involvement of North Korean forces and weapons in the conflict.