Zelensky: Russia used North Korean missiles in deadly Zaporizhzhia strike
Ukraine and Russia continued to trade strikes overnight, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accusing Moscow of using North Korean-supplied ballistic missiles in an attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia that killed at least six people and injured 19 others.
In a video address on Monday evening, Zelensky said Russia "cannot wage war without reinforcements from North Korea" and warned that the growing use of North Korean missiles and soldiers posed dangers beyond Ukraine. "The more North Korean strikes there are here in Ukraine, in Europe, the more their missiles and soldiers are used, the more they correct their shortcomings and blind spots," he said.
Zelensky also described a Ukrainian air strike on a petrochemical plant in western Siberia as "a very significant achievement" and promised "more Ukrainian deep strikes, which should demonstrate to Russia and the Russians that peace is necessary."
The Zaporizhzhia attack was carried out using missiles and guided bombs, according to Regional Governor Ivan Fedorov, who posted images of vehicles and buildings on fire. Industrial facilities, infrastructure and non-residential buildings were hit, he said.
In Kyiv, air raid sirens sounded twice during the night and explosions were heard on the outskirts of the capital. A hospital was damaged, but officials said staff and patients were in shelters at the time. Strikes on electrical substations in Kherson and Kharkiv led to power outages.
In Sumy, two women were injured in a drone strike, according to Sergiy Kryvosheenko, head of the City Military Administration. The women, aged 52 and 66, were treated at the scene. Civilian vehicles, warehouse buildings and infrastructure were also damaged, he said.
In Russia's Voronezh region, which borders Ukraine, reports said a fire and explosions had occurred at a logistics centre belonging to Wildberries, the country's largest online retailer. The company has not confirmed an attack but said its facilities in the region had been evacuated. Earlier in July, Ukrainian drone attacks on Wildberries warehouses disrupted operations for many small and medium-sized Russian businesses. Kyiv has said it targets such logistics hubs to prevent the Russian military from procuring equipment and supplies.
The overnight strikes followed a deadly Ukrainian drone attack on Tatarstan, a republic in central Russia, more than 1,100 km from the border. At least 13 people were killed, including one child, and at least 75 were injured. Ukraine's Armed Forces said it had hit the city's Tanevo oil refinery, and verified images on social media showed large plumes of smoke and flames. It was one of the deadliest single attacks on Russian territory since the start of the full-scale conflict in 2022.
Zelensky's accusation against North Korea is not new. Over the weekend, he warned that as many as 50,000 North Korean soldiers could be deployed to fight alongside Russian forces. Ukrainian officials also reported that Russia fired 120 drones overnight, along with various missiles, but this time they did not disclose the number of missiles fired or intercepted.
The Ukrainian Air Force issued a statement on Monday urging media outlets not to write "sensationalised headlines" or "spread pessimism" about a reported shortage of air defence interceptors, as the country faces intensifying aerial attacks.
The alleged use of North Korean missiles would mark a further deepening of military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang, which have drawn closer since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Both countries have denied some earlier reports of arms transfers, and the claims have not been independently verified.
