Russia is preparing to intensify its missile strikes on Ukraine using North Korean KN-30 missiles
Russia may intensify its missile strikes on Ukraine using North Korean ballistic missiles, specifically upgraded KN-30s. According to Ukrainian intelligence, six launchers are being deployed in Russia’s Voronezh region, which could potentially launch up to 120 missiles.
According to the ISW, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense confirmed that approximately 50 North Korean missiles of the KN-23, KN-24, and KN-30 types had been transferred to Russia as of July 2026.
The KN-30 is a modernized version of the KN-23 ballistic missile and can be equipped with a warhead weighing up to 2.5 metric tons.
At the same time, the ISW emphasized that there is currently no confirmation that Russia has used the KN-30 specifically against Ukraine.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia has begun deploying six launchers for North Korean missiles in the Voronezh region.
In total, they can launch up to 120 missiles.
From the Voronezh region, ballistic missiles could potentially reach the Sumy, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Poltava, Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Ukrainian military expert Anatoliy Khrapchynskyi noted that Russia does not use all of its available launchers during a single massive strike.
According to him, the Russian army has about 160 “Iskander” launchers, each of which can carry two missiles. At the same time, 16–26 missiles are typically used during a single strike.
At the same time, North Korean ballistic missiles are less accurate than the Russian “Iskander-M.” According to Khrapchynsky’s assessment, the KN-23 may deviate from its target by hundreds of meters or even kilometers, whereas the “Iskander-M” has a claimed accuracy of 5–20 meters.
However, North Korean missiles may have the advantage of a significantly more powerful warhead. According to ISW estimates, its weight can reach up to 1 metric ton, while the standard warhead of the Russian “Iskander-M” missile weighs about 480 kg.
Consequently, the use of such missiles could result in larger craters and more powerful shock waves, increasing the destructive potential of Russian strikes against Ukraine.
At the same time, there is currently no data on Russia’s actual use of the KN-30 against Ukraine.
This is stated in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) dated August 20.
Over the course of August 20, Russian forces carried out 1,069 strikes on 51 settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region. Four people were wounded as a result of the enemy attacks.
On the evening of August 20 and overnight on August 21, Russian forces attacked the Nikopol, Synelnykove, and Pavlohrad districts of the Dnipropetrovsk region with drones. Local authorities reported on the consequences of the strikes.
On the night of August 21, Russian forces attacked the village of Lebyazhe in the Chuhuiv district with six strike UAVs. The attack killed two women and injured two others; private homes were also damaged and destroyed.
On the night of August 21, Russia launched a massive drone strike on the Sumy region, targeting Sumy and Konotop. The shelling damaged residential buildings, and at least two people were injured.
