Kyiv says Russia used North Korean missiles in deadly attacks on Ukraine

KYIV: The Ukrainian security service (SBU) said Thursday it had established that Russia had used North Korean missiles in several attacks that killed over 20 people.

The United States had in January warned that North Korea was sending both ballistic missiles and launchers to Russia in what it called a concerning escalation of Pyongyang's support to Moscow.

"According to the investigation, Russian troops released more than 20 North Korean weapons over Ukraine... at least 24 civilians were killed and more than a hundred seriously injured," the SBU said.

It identified the weapons as "Hwasong-11 ballistic missiles" and posted pictures of fragments on Telegram.

The missiles were used in a late-December attack on the southern Zaporizhzhia region and in January in the capital Kyiv, the SBU said.

Russia also launched the missiles in the frontline regions of Donetsk and Kharkiv, it added.

"Comprehensive measures are underway to establish all the circumstances of the crimes and bring the perpetrators to justice" including "logistical routes for the supply of weapons," the SBU added.

Nearly 50 countries -- including the US, European states, South Korea and Japan -- had condemned the alleged transfer in a statement in January.

Traditional allies, Russia and North Korea have recently boosted ties anew, with Pyongyang's leader Kim Jong Un making a rare overseas trip to see President Vladimir Putin in Russia's far east in September.