A North Korean missile unit has begun deploying to western Russia and could eventually operate 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers for strikes against Ukraine, an official at Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence told Reuters in comments published on August 5, 2026. Andrii Cherniak, a spokesman for the agency, said Russia planned to base around 90 North Korean personnel in the Voronezh region, roughly 150 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, within the Russian 112th Missile Brigade. North Korean missiles return to the battlefieldFragments of North Korean Hwasong-11 (KN-23/24) ballistic missiles recovered after Russian strikes on Ukraine. (Credit: Security Service of Ukraine)The deployment described by Cherniak follows the first reported use of North Korean missiles against Ukraine since August 2025. North Korean crews supporting ballistic missile strikes into Ukraine would be harder to frame that way.