Ukraine troops fire North Korean rockets at Russia, say unpredictable arms ‘do crazy things’

A report said Kyiv has been launching the weapons, seized by a ‘friendly’ country, at Russian forces

A soldier said the decades-old rockets were unreliable and ‘do crazy things sometimes’

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Ukrainians visit an exhibition of destroyed Russian military machinery in Kyiv on July 28. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 11:57am, 29 Jul 2023

While North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has supported Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war effort, weapons produced in his country have apparently been turned against Russian forces.

The Financial Times reported on Friday that Ukraine has been launching unpredictable, North Korean-made rockets at Russian troops. Ukrainian soldiers manning multiple-launch rocket systems near Bakhmut showed the weapons to the outlet.

A Ukrainian artillery commander told FT his troops don’t like using the weapons, which were made in the 1980s and ‘90s, because they can often misfire or fail to explode. One soldier said, “They are very unreliable and do crazy things sometimes.”

The use of North Korean weapons was striking given that the country is an ally of Russia. Putin on Thursday thanked North Korea for its “firm support” for the war in Ukraine. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu also visited Pyongyang this week to meet with Kim while the country celebrated the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean war.

Last year, US intelligence officials said Pyongyang was selling millions of artillery shells and rockets to Russia after sanctions cut the Kremlin off from its typical military supply lines. And in March, the White House said it had evidence that North Korea was again providing Russia with weapons, this time in exchange for food.

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