North Korean ballistic missiles used by Russia in deadly attack in Ukraine, Zelenskyy says

At least 13 people killed across Ukraine in separate Russian attacks

Seven workers were killed at a Ukrainian steel plant ‌on Tuesday during a Russian attack on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia in which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow used North Korean ballistic missiles.

The Zaporizhstal plant was forced to suspend production after being hit as Russia pummelled Zaporizhzhia with Zircon hypersonic missiles, guided aerial bombs and ballistic missiles supplied by Pyongyang.

"The ballistic missile strike hit as employees were making their way to a shelter immediately after the air-raid alert was sounded," parent company Metinvest Group said in a statement that put the death toll at seven, with 24 people injured.

The attack brought production at the plant to a complete halt, and other damaged sites were operating at reduced capacity, the company said.

West hasn't given Ukraine enough to win the war: former NORAD commander

Russia's Defence Ministry said Russian forces had struck a metallurgical plant in Zaporizhzhia that produces flat-rolled steel, which it said was used by the Ukrainian military.

The ministry also said Russian forces had struck the Nova Poshta sorting complex in Kyiv, which it described as used ⁠to distribute dual-use goods, including components for drones and electronic warfare equipment.

Russia did not immediately say whether it had used North Korean missiles in the attack on Zaporizhzhia. There was no comment from Pyongyang.

Ukraine continues its drone attacks

Six others were killed overnight in the Ukrainian regions of Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk, and a Russian attack on Kyiv caused fires in the capital, Ukrainian officials said.

The attacks followed a Ukrainian drone strike that Russian authorities said on Monday had killed at least 13 ⁠people and wounded 39 in the Russian city of Nizhnekamsk, one of the heaviest civilian tolls in Russia in months.

Another Ukrainian drone attack killed one person and injured two overnight in Russia's Voronezh region, and caused fires at warehouse facilities, the regional governor said. Russian online retailer Wildberries, whose warehouses have frequently been targeted by Ukraine, said it had evacuated its logistics facilities in the region for safety reasons.

Kyiv has increasingly been striking Russia, including hitting oil refineries and warehouses used by Wildberries. Ukraine said on Tuesday it had targeted an oil refinery in the Russian city of Orsk in its latest strikes.

Why attack 'Russia's Amazon'? | About That

North Korea provides troops, weapons

Russia has fired scores of North Korean ballistic missiles at Ukraine since late 2023, but the deployment of ⁠North Korean missile ⁠forces would be an expansion of the already extensive military co-operation between Moscow and Pyongyang.

Zelenskyy said on X on Saturday that "a decision has been made for 30,000 to 50,000 North Koreans to be deployed on the territory of ⁠Russia" to fight for Moscow. He had previously provided an estimate of 30,000 soldiers.

Russia and North Korea signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty two years ago, including a mutual assistance provision if either faced external aggression. North Korea sent an estimated 14,000 soldiers to Russia's Kursk Region in 2024 after an incursion into the region by Ukrainian forces.

Hundreds of North Korean troops killed in Ukraine

What will Russia get out of deal with North Korea?

North Korea has also supplied Russia with millions of artillery and mortar rounds, ballistic missiles, ⁠long-range artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems, according ‌to Ukrainian and independent assessments.

Russia has also used the pioneering low-cost, long-range Iran-designed Shahed attack drones, unleashing thousands of them on Ukraine every month. Moscow has adapted the design of the Shahed, which it calls the Geran, to include new features, including jet engines, which it is using to penetrate deeper into Ukraine, including Kyiv.

Ukraine, meanwhile, has used a range of missiles provided by allies like the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden and France.