Jan. 4 (UPI) — U.S. officials say Russia has begun deploying missiles provided by North Korea into Ukraine.
John Kirby, a White House spokesperson for national security issues, said in a press briefing Thursday that Russia used at least one of these missiles on a Dec. 30 strike on an open field in Ukraine, and multiple others were used during a strike carried out Tuesday around the cities of Kyiv and Kharkiv.
“We expect Russia and North Korea to learn from these launches, and we anticipate that Russia will use additional North Korean missiles to target Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and to kill innocent Ukrainian civilians,” Kirby told reporters.
He added that the United States believes North Korea is seeking fighter aircraft, surface to air missiles and other military upgrades in exchange for aiding Russia.
At least four people were killed and more than 60 were injured in Tuesday’s attack on Kyiv and Kharkiv.
The recent development comes as the White House warned it has run out of approved funding for military aid to Ukraine. The Biden administration on Dec. 27 announced a final round of $250 million to boost Ukraine’s air defense capabilities as it stressed the U.S. will be unable to provide further aid without congressional support.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia has fired some 500 missiles into Ukraine between Dec. 29 and Jan. 2. The strikes have killed dozens of Ukrainian civilians and injured hundreds more.
