Tracking organization claims Russia uses North Korean ballistic missile containing US, European components

MOSCOW

The UK-based Conflict Armament Research (CAR) asserted on Wednesday that North Korea used over 290 non-domestic electronic components to manufacture a ballistic missile that was found in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

According to research by a UK-based organization that specializes in assisting governments in determining how weapons wind up in conflict areas, examination of missile remains revealed parts that were mostly produced in the US during the previous three years.

The missile that was found in Kharkiv on January 2 has components that were built lately; according to the report, 75% of the components were made between 2021 and 2023, with 16% coming from European businesses and 9% from Asian ones.

The research states that 26 businesses from eight jurisdictions were linked to the manufacture of these components, but CAR is unable to publicly identify these businesses because of continuing work with industry partners.

The research underlined the difficulty of monitoring the export of commercial electronic components and the dependence of Iran, North Korea, and Russia on the global semiconductor sector for essential military manufacturing components.

According to the CAR, the data acquired allows North Korea to be accused of evading international sanctions to access foreign materials, which puts the entire non-proliferation regime in jeopardy.

The study highlights the significance of field recording, observation, and the more general difficulty of controlling the export of commercial semiconductors.

It stated that the international scope of the semiconductor sector raises questions about export control and sanctions compliance in other member nations and it promised to keep tracking North Korean ballistic missiles and provide updates on any discoveries in armaments found in Ukraine.