DOMINANT ANGLE
Moscow soberly relays the North Korean shots of October 12 from the sole South Korean and Japanese sources, incorporating them into the series of tests opened on October 3.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
According to the South Korean military as reported by TASS, several ballistic missiles were fired around 9:20 am near Pyongyang and traveled approximately 900 km.
- 02
According to the Japanese Ministry of Defense as cited by Vedomosti, two missiles were launched at 9:20 am and 9:40 am, falling outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, with no known damage.
- 03
The last previous North Korean launch dated back to October 3: a medium-range strategic missile fired from the Wonsan region, in the presence of Kim Jong-un according to KCNA.
ANALYSIS
Moscow, October 12, 2026. Russian agencies and newspapers are treating the North Korean firing on Monday, October 12, as a breaking news story, relying exclusively on foreign sources. TASS, from Seoul, reports that the South Korean army "claims" that the DPRK fired several ballistic missiles towards the Sea of Japan, citing the News1 agency, which in turn relays the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff. The devices were launched around 9:20 am local time (0:20 GMT) from an area near Pyongyang and traveled approximately 900 km. The South Korean army, the dispatch specifies, remains on alert for potential additional firings and is exchanging information with the United States and Japan.
A second TASS dispatch, dated Tokyo, reports the comments of the Japanese coast guard: the DPRK allegedly fired what could be two ballistic missiles. The first projectile flew for about two minutes before falling, while the second's fall was reported eight minutes after launch. Citing NHK television, the agency adds that the first missile fell outside Japan's exclusive economic zone. The use of the verb "claims" in TASS's English title, like the South Korean side's "claimed", marks a distance of attribution: the agency reports what Tokyo and Seoul say without confirming it through its own source.
The daily Vedomosti follows the same pattern. It cites TV Asahi, which in turn relies on the Japanese Ministry of Defense: two missiles launched around 9:20 am and 9:40 am (3:20 am and 3:40 am in Moscow), likely falling outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, with no information on potential damage. The newspaper converts the times to Moscow time, a sign of treatment intended for the Russian reader rather than in-depth analysis.
Both media outlets recall the previous sequence: the last ballistic launch dates back to October 3. TASS reports it was towards the Sea of Japan from the Wonsan region; Vedomosti specifies that the North Korean agency KCNA spoke of a strategic weapon launch exercise, with a medium-range strategic missile, and that Kim Jong-un attended it in person.
None of the three dispatches include comments from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Kremlin, nor an assessment of the hypersonic nature of the devices, nor any mention of inter-Korean tensions or the mines in the demilitarized zone. The coverage remains focused on the raw military fact: number of missiles, times, distance, and location of impact.
