Here's a scenario that would have seemed unthinkable a few years ago: North Korean missiles, fired by Russian troops, aimed at Ukrainian cities. According to a Ukrainian military intelligence official speaking to Reuters on Wednesday, that's exactly what could be on the horizon. A North Korean missile unit is reportedly heading to western Russia, bringing with it up to 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers. The plan, as described, would station about 90 North Korean personnel with Russia's 112th Missile Brigade in the Voronezh region.
So far, North Korea has reportedly sent 40 KN-23 and KN-24 missiles along with personnel, but the bigger package—the full 120 missiles and launchers—is still being discussed. What exactly the North Korean troops will do in Russian missile operations is unclear. But the timing is telling: this deployment coincides with Russia launching its first two North Korean missiles at Ukraine since last August. That's a signal that Moscow and Pyongyang are moving beyond just trading arms and into something more operationally integrated.
For Ukraine, this couldn't come at a worse time. Kyiv is running out of the advanced air defenses it needs to stop these hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been blunt about the situation: Ukraine has run out of Patriot interceptors. Over the weekend, only one of 27 Russian ballistic missiles was intercepted. That's a staggeringly low success rate, and it underscores how desperate the air defense situation has become.
Zelenskyy met with President Donald Trump last month and stressed that Ukraine needs the interceptors immediately, asking for 300 Patriot systems by winter. The U.S. is in talks to help Ukraine produce Patriot interceptor missiles, with a plan to manufacture some components in Ukraine and do final assembly in Europe. But Trump has been wavering. He initially indicated the U.S. would allow Ukraine to make PAC-3 missiles, then backtracked, saying no such agreement had been reached. His caution is understandable from a technology-transfer perspective. As he told reporters, "There's people that you give that technology, they can someday turn on you."
Meanwhile, Ukraine's ambassador, Olha Stefanishyna, said on Thursday that Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), the manufacturer of the PAC-3 interceptor, had committed to expanding cooperation with Ukraine. That's a positive sign, but with winter approaching and Russian missiles flying, the question is whether it will be enough, and whether it will come in time.
