A spokesperson for Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence says 90 Pyongyang troops armed with ballistic missiles are now stationed in Russia’s Voronezh region, with further strikes expected.
A new front on Russian soil
Russia is allegedly preparing to host a dedicated missile unit from the Korean People’s Army (KPA) in its western Voronezh region. The claim was made to Reuters by Andriy Chernyak, a representative of Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence. According to him, the unit has arrived with its own arsenal and is set to be integrated into the Russian Armed Forces’ 112th Missile Brigade, stationed perilously close to the Ukrainian border.
Chernyak stated that the North Korean contingent possesses approximately six mobile launchers and a stockpile of around 120 ballistic missiles. He warned that these weapons could be directed at Ukrainian targets in the near future. “Russia plans to deploy a missile unit of about 90 North Korean servicemen in the western Russian region of Voronezh, as part of its 112th Missile Brigade,” the intelligence spokesman asserted.
A growing arsenal and secret talks
The reported deployment appears to be part of a broader, deepening military logistics chain between Moscow and Pyongyang. The Ukrainian intelligence official further disclosed that North Korea has already dispatched a fresh consignment of 40 modernised KN-23 and KN-24 missiles to Russia. He cautioned, however, that these reported figures might not be final.
The operational details and parameters for stationing KPA units on Russian territory are expected to be firmed up in September, during what Chernyak described as forthcoming high-level negotiations. As Reuters notes, any significant expansion of Russia’s ballistic missile stockpile risks creating severe additional strain for Ukraine’s air defences.
Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang has issued an official response to the Ukrainian allegations.
Fortress factories: Pyongyang shields production lines
The revelation of troop movements coincides with new evidence of how North Korea is protecting the industrial base churning out these very weapons. A separate analysis by NK News, based on recently published satellite imagery, reveals that Pyongyang has constructed and subsequently concealed a new manufacturing workshop for KN-23 (Hwasong-11Ga) missiles.
The building, a substantial structure measuring 65 by 35 metres and standing two to three storeys high, was erected between late 2024 and February 2026 at a known ballistic missile production plant.
What followed the construction is particularly telling: the facility, which bears the hallmarks of a typical North Korean assembly and production hall, was buried under earth and integrated directly into the slope of an adjacent mountain. Analysts interpreting the satellite photos suggest that this camouflage indicates critical missile assembly lines are being moved underground to harden them against potential air strikes. Furthermore, earthen berms have been erected around some above-ground buildings at the plant, a classic military engineering technique designed to prevent the spread of fire to neighbouring structures in the event of an attack.
