A North Korean ballistic missile Russia fired in Ukraine last month reportedly contained hundreds of components that have been traced back to companies in the United States and Europe.

Citing an investigation by the United Kingdom-based Conflict Armament Research(CAR) organization, CNN reported on Tuesday that of the 290 North Korean missile parts collected in Ukraine, 75 percent were designed and sold by firms incorporated in the U.S.

Sixteen percent were linked to companies incorporated in Europe, while nine percent were connected to those incorporated in Asia. Most of the components comprised the missile's navigation system, tracing back to 26 firms headquartered in the U.S., China, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland and Taiwan.

The CAR report suggested that the parts were likely diverted within the global supply chain once sold to international distributors, saying the North has developed a "robust acquisition network capable of circumventing, without detection, sanctions that have been in place for nearly two decades."

The report also noted how difficult it is for America and its allies to control where commercial electronics go, singling out semiconductor parts, which it said are particularly difficult to track once they enter the global supply chain.