North Korean ballistic missiles hit Ukraine - Russia prepares for F-16 crisis: Iranian "Dezful" targets Romania and Poland

04/01/2024 - 22:12

Russia is pounding Ukrainian military positions with North Korean ballistic missiles, according to a US emergency briefing.

According to Washington, Russia launched North Korean ballistic missiles at least twice against Ukrainian positions, more specifically on December 30 and January 2.

The Americans are talking about dozens of ballistic missiles from North Korea, confirming the big "deal" between B. Putin and Kim Jong Un, which WarNews247 had written about months ago.

But the unpleasant news about Kiev does not stop here. The Americans confirm the existence of a second agreement, this time with Iran.

Russia has received dozens of ballistic missiles from North Korea 

In recent weeks, Russia has received several dozen ballistic missiles from North Korea, the Wall Street Journal reports.

According to the American publication, the transfer of missiles to Russia will allow the Russian Armed Forces to launch more intense attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure.

Previously, the US press reported that North Korea transferred more than 1 million artillery shells to Russia in exchange for Russian assistance in launching a spy satellite into space.

In addition to the DPRK, the West accuses Iran of cooperating with Russia in the military field. According to the American source, in the spring of 2024, Russia will receive ballistic missiles from Iran.

Now Russian and Iranian officials are reportedly negotiating on this issue. The discussions include both the types of missiles and the payment method between Russia and Iran.

An agreement will significantly expand the capabilities of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and reduce the burden on the Russian military-industrial complex.

Russia will simultaneously have the opportunity to conduct more missile attacks on targets in Ukraine and at the same time accumulate a decent amount of domestic ammunition.

Note that the British intelligence agency MI6 stated in September 2023 that Moscow will receive KN-09 300 mm MLRS from Pyongyang.

Iranian ballistic missiles will target Romania and Poland

Russian negotiations to acquire ballistic missiles from Iran are "progressing actively," a US official said, citing recently declassified information.

A US official pointed to a meeting between Iranian officials of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Iran in September, where the Iranians presented the Russians with the Ababil short-range ballistic missile and other missile systems.

"This event marked the first public display of ballistic missiles by a senior Russian official visiting Iran since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war," the official said.

Then, in mid-December, the IRGC deployed ballistic missiles and missile support systems to a training area inside Iran to demonstrate to a Russian delegation, the official said — all signs that Russia intends to buy the systems from Iran .

Providing ballistic missiles would mean a significant escalation of Iran's support for Russia.

According to information, Moscow is interested in Fateh-110, Zolfagar, and Dezful ballistic missiles with a range of 1,000 km!

The reason is the transfer of F-16s to Ukraine. Dozens of ballistic missiles will target airports in Romania and Poland in case Ukrainian F-16s take off and strike Russian targets from the two NATO countries.

See below the range of ballistic missiles requested by Moscow.

The Fateh-110 short-range missile was already used by Iran in January 2020 when it attacked US bases in Iraq after the assassination of IRGC commander Qasem Soleimani. This 3.3-ton missile can deliver up to 448 kg of explosives up to 300 km away.

The deployment of such ballistic missiles in Crimea or near Belgorod will make it possible to cover almost the entire territory of the new regions of Russia, as well as to target military air bases in Mirgorod and Zaporizhia.

The Zolfagar missile is the evolution of the Fateh. This 10.3-meter-long solid-fuel ballistic missile with a gross weight of 4570 kg hits targets within a radius of 700 km. At the same time, it carries a head weight of 579 kg. For the first time, Iran used this missile on June 18, 2017 to strike ISIS forces in Syria.

The appearance of "Zolfagars" at Russian bases bordering Ukraine will allow most of Ukrainian territory, including Kiev, to be brought into range.

The capabilities of Iran's largest Dezful ballistic missile still remain a secret. In real conditions, these missiles have not yet been used anywhere. According to Iranian military experts, the range of the Dezful is up to 1000 km, which allows it to be classified as an intermediate-range ballistic missile. The mass of the transported load is estimated at 650 kg.

The supply of such missiles will cover the entire territory of Ukraine, Moldova, part of Romania and the eastern part of Poland.

American statements

"Russia's deployment of North Korean ballistic missiles shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's growing support for Moscow's war effort.

It also shows Russian President Vladimir Putin's ability to rely on rogue countries to cover deficiencies in his own arsenal as the war in Ukraine approaches its third calendar year," the Americans said.

"Russia has become increasingly isolated on the world stage and is forced to look to neighboring countries for military equipment ," said one US official, who partly attributed Russia's limited options to sanctions imposed by Washington.

"Our intelligence indicates that the DPRK has recently provided Russia with ballistic missile launchers and several dozen ballistic missiles — and Russia has fired multiple ballistic missiles into Ukraine," the official said.

Michael Kofman, a military analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said Russia's war effort is being boosted by arms imports.

"Russia's mobilized defense industrial production now produces significantly more missiles per month than before the war, however, this is still insufficient relative to its needs and cannot replace the missile stockpile it spent during of the last two years" , he said. "This means that Russia will benefit from access to an additional stockpile from countries like North Korea."