“As part of its direct genocidal war, the Russian Federation for the first time attacked the territory of Ukraine with robots from North Korea,” Zelensky’s advisor Mychajlo Podoljak writes on X.
The statement comes a day after the United States released information that North Korea supplied Russia with ballistic robots that were used in the recent attacks on Ukraine.
“Deeply disturbing”
At least one of the ballistic missiles was reportedly fired at Ukraine on December 30, according to US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
In addition, several robots are said to have been used in Russia’s attack on Ukraine on Tuesday, when several Ukrainian cities were attacked.
– It is a deeply worrying development and a clear escalation, says Lieutenant Colonel Joakim Paasikivi to TV4 Nyheterna.
– It gives Russia additional opportunities to reach Ukrainian cities, he continues.
In addition to the fact that it is a special type of robot, which can carry several hundred kilograms of explosives and has the ability to move four times faster than the speed of sound, this also changes the dynamics of security politics, explains Paasikivi.
– It is not only a special type of robot, but it also changes the dynamics of security policy.
But it also shows that Russia has a shortage of robots and a need to import, says Paasikivi.
– It is reasonably positive.
At the same time, it sends a “strange signal” to the outside world, according to Paasikivi.
– It is also worrying that rogue states such as Iran and North Korea can continue to send weapons to Russia without consequences.
Ukraine: Wreckage to be examined
However, the information has not yet been able to be independently confirmed. Nor has there been any evidence presented that the robots used actually come from North Korea. But Ukraine has announced that wreckage from the robots will be examined by experts.
The US and its allies will now raise the issue in the UN Security Council, as it violates UN sanctions against North Korea, according to the White House.
According to the US, Moscow is also trying to obtain short-range ballistic missiles from Iran. Such an agreement is not yet complete, according to John Kirby, but the United States is concerned that Russia’s negotiations are “actively moving forward.”