INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The debris from a missile that landed in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Jan
2 was from a North Korean Hwasong-11 series ballistic missile, United Nations sanctions monitors told a Security Council committee in a
report seen by Reuters on Monday.In the 32-page report, the U.N
sanctions monitors concluded that &debris recovered from a missile that landed in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on 2 January 2024 derives from a DPRK
Hwasong-11 series missile& and is in violation of the arms embargo on North Korea.Formally known as the Democratic People&s Republic of
Korea (DPRK), North Korea has been under U.N
sanctions for its ballistic missile and nuclear programs since 2006, and those measures have been strengthened over the years.Three
sanctions monitors traveled to Ukraine earlier this month to inspect the debris and found no evidence that the missile was made by Russia
They &could not independently identify from where the missile was launched, nor by whom.&&Information on the trajectory provided by
Ukrainian authorities indicates it was launched within the territory of the Russian Federation,& they wrote in an April 25 report to the
Security Council&s North Korea sanctions committee.&Such a location, if the missile was under control of Russian forces, would probably
indicate procurement by nationals of the Russian Federation,& they said, adding that this would be a violation of the arms embargo imposed
on North Korea in 2006.The Russian and North Korean missions to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for
comment on the report by the sanctions monitors, Reuters reported.The U.S
and others have accused North Korea of transferring weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine, which it invaded in February 2022
Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied the accusations, but vowed last year to deepen military relations.At a U.N
Security Council meeting in February, the U.S
accused Russia of launching DPRK-supplied ballistic missiles against Ukraine on at least nine occasions.The U.N
monitors said the Hwasong-11 series ballistic missiles were first publicly tested by Pyongyang in 2019, Reuters reported.Russia last month
vetoed the annual renewal of the U.N
sanctions monitors & known as a panel of experts & that has for 15 years monitored enforcement of U.N
sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs
The mandate for the current panel of experts will expire on Tuesday.Within days of the Jan
2 attack, the Kharkiv region prosecutor&s office showcased fragments of the missile to the media, saying it was different from Russian
models and &this may be a missile which was supplied by North Korea.&The post UN experts say North Korea missile landed in Ukraine&s Kharkiv
first appeared on Ariana News.
