Report: Russia Arms Drones with North Korean Cluster Munitions

SadaNews - Russia has expanded its cooperation with its ally North Korea, as Russian forces are now using small drones equipped with North Korean cluster munitions in attacks in southern Ukraine, according to a report published by the Conflict Armament Research organization on Thursday.

The Conflict Armament Research organization is an independent UK-based entity that identifies and tracks the weapons and munitions used in wars.

According to the American newspaper "The New York Times," independent investigators who visited Ukraine last week examined an unknown type of North Korean cluster munitions that was placed on a Russian drone found near the city of Kherson on September 23.

North Korea had provided Russia with soldiers, artillery shells, and ballistic missiles, but the use of North Korean cluster munitions as warheads on small Russian drones had not been previously reported.

Cluster munitions break apart in the air and spread smaller explosive or incendiary weapons, often referred to as submunitions, over a wide area.

The investigators stated that the submunition underwent significant modifications and was mounted on a drone that transmits video feeds allowing soldiers to guide it more easily towards targets.

Ukrainian government authorities have called on researchers throughout the war to analyze and document Russian military weapons.

The Conflict Armament Research organization found that even the most advanced Russian munitions rely on low-tech parts manufactured by Western companies, which have been smuggled into the country despite international sanctions.

This report comes at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he might send American-made Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine to pressure Russia to negotiate an end to its ongoing war that has lasted for three and a half years.

He is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday to discuss the Tomahawk deal, which would grant Kyiv the capability to launch missiles at Moscow.

Marks on the North Korean bomb indicate that it was manufactured in 2000. It has been modified to detonate upon impact with its target.

According to Damian Splitt, one of the organization's researchers, the North Korean bomb appears to be a version of the American M42 munitions that were first used in combat during the Gulf War in 1991 and have been largely restricted for use by American forces due to the danger posed by unexploded submunitions to friendly troops as well as civilians in post-conflict areas.

Regardless, the administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden approved sending 155mm artillery shells containing M42 submunitions to Ukraine in 2023. At that time, the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) described them as "extremely effective and reliable" and stated that consultations were held with Congress and allied countries before sending them.

The modifications made to the unknown North Korean bomb required precise work, and Splitt stated that this discovery "provides another direct link between North Korean defense production and the war in Ukraine."

He added that Russia manufactures some drone airframes, but most of its other components, if not all, are made in China.