North Korean missile used by Russia to attack Ukraine had US and European parts

This was reported by CNN.

The publication noted that this is the first public confirmation of North Korea's use of foreign technology in its missile programme.

The British research organisation Conflict Armament Research (CAR) conducted a study of 290 components from the remains of a North Korean ballistic missile found in Kharkiv in January and found that 75% of the components were developed and sold by companies registered in the United States.

Another 16% of the components found in the missile were linked to companies registered in Europe and 9% to companies registered in Asia, according to the researchers. 

However, CAR's latest report does not list the specific companies that produced the components, as there is no evidence that the firms intentionally sent parts to North Korea. 

It is likely that the components were diverted as they were sold by the companies to various international distributors in a vast global supply chain. 

The results of the study also suggest that North Korea was able to quickly produce a missile and deliver it to Russia. 

The parts studied were manufactured between 2021 and 2023. Based on these production dates, the researchers argue that the missile "could not have been assembled before March 2023" and was used by Russia in Ukraine in January 2024.

The findings indicate that North Korea "has developed a robust procurement network capable of stealthily circumventing sanctions regimes that have been in place for nearly two decades," CAR said in its report.

The CAR researchers claim that the study of the North Korean missile "shows that North Korea has been able to produce advanced weapons, integrating components produced as recently as 2023, in spite of United Nations Security Council sanctions in place since 2006 that prohibit the production of ballistic missiles by North Korea".

• On the evening of 19 February, Russia launched Shahed drones on eastern and southern Ukraine. As a result of Russian enemy attack in the Kremenchuk region, explosions were heard - an industrial facility was hit and a fire broke out. Over Dnipro, fragments of downed UAVs fell on houses and cars.