Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says overnight Russian attacks on Zaporizhzhia used North Korean ballistic missiles, killing at least six people there and more elsewhere across the country.
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Key facts
- Russian attacks on Zaporizhzhia killed at least six people and injured about 20, officials said.
- Six more people were killed and 16 injured in attacks on Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk, according to Reuters.
- Zelenskyy said Zaporizhzhia was struck with North Korean ballistic missiles, Zircons and guided aerial bombs.
- Zelenskyy said Russia is preparing for escalation, not peace.
Overnight Russian attacks on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia killed at least six people and injured around 20, officials said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the city was struck with North Korean ballistic missiles, along with Zircons and guided aerial bombs.
According to the BBC, Zelenskyy said the strikes in Zaporizhzhia, which killed at least six and injured 19, involved ballistic missiles supplied by Russia’s ally North Korea.
The attacks were not limited to Zaporizhzhia. Another six people were killed and 16 injured in attacks on Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk, Reuters reported.
Zelenskyy framed the strikes as part of a wider pattern of escalation by Moscow. “Every step Russia takes – increasing ballistic missile production, bringing in North Korean equipment, preparing for mobilisation – all of this shows that Moscow is preparing not for peace, but for escalation,” he said.
The Ukrainian leader urged an immediate international response, adding: “And the world needs to respond now, not wait.”
The reports underscore continued deadly assaults on Ukrainian cities and Kyiv’s assertion that Russia is drawing on foreign military equipment to sustain its campaign.
Why it matters
The claim that Russia is firing North Korean missiles at Ukrainian cities points to deepening military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang. For readers, it signals both the ongoing human toll on Ukrainian civilians and Kyiv's warning that Russia is gearing up for escalation rather than a peace settlement.
Timeline
- Russia using North Korean missiles to strike Ukraine, Zelensky says
BBC World: Ukraine's president says strikes in Zaporizhzhia – which killed at least six and injured 19 – involved ballistic missiles from Russia's ally.
- Overnight Russian strikes on Ukraine used North Korean missiles, claims Zelenskyy – Europe live
The Guardian World: Russian attacks on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia killed at least six people and injured 20, officials said Overnight Russian attacks on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia killed at least six people and injured 20, officials said. Another six people were killed a