Russia Received KN-30 Ballistic Missiles From North Korea — Defence Intelligence of Ukraine

Russia has received KN-30 ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea, which could be used to strike Ukraine.

This is according to data from the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, which the agency provided in response to a request from Ukrainska Pravda media outlet.

According to the intelligence service, as of July 2026, Russia had around 50 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles and approximately the same number of North Korean KN-23, KN-24 and KN-30 ballistic missiles.

There had been no previous reports of KN-30 missiles being transferred to Russia or used in the war against Ukraine. Russia has used North Korean KN-23 and KN-24 missiles in strikes.

KN-30 Ballistic Missile

The KN-30 is the Western designation for the North Korean Hwasong-11C ballistic missile, also known as the Hwasong-11Da. It is an enlarged version of the Hwasong-11 family and belongs to the short-range ballistic missile class.

The missile is powered by a solid-fuel engine and launched from a mobile ground-based launcher.

The first known test launch of the Hwasong-11C took place on March 25, 2021. During the test, the missile demonstrated a range of at least 600 kilometers.

North Korea claimed that the missile could carry a 2.5-ton warhead. However, this information has not been independently confirmed.

The KN-30 was first publicly displayed at a military parade in Pyongyang on January 14, 2021.

The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine also provided information on the Russian military’s stockpiles of other missiles. As of August 5, the stockpile of 9M723 ballistic missiles for Iskander-M operational-tactical missile systems allocated to Russia’s military grouping stood at around 130.

Russia is estimated to have around 400 RM-48U missiles for S-400 air defense systems. It also has more than 600 Oniks anti-ship missiles, more than 450 Kalibr cruise missiles, more than 120 Zircon hypersonic missiles and up to 100 Kh-101 cruise missiles.

In early August, Defence Intelligence of Ukraine representative Andrii Cherniak said that North Korea had begun deploying a missile unit in Russia’s Voronezh region to launch ballistic missile strikes against Ukraine.