The war between Russia and Ukraine has continued with heavy attacks from both sides. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of using North Korean missiles in attacks against Ukrainian cities.
Zelensky said Russia is becoming increasingly dependent on military support from North Korea. In a video address, he said that Russia could not continue its war without help from North Korea. He warned that the use of North Korean missiles and soldiers could create a wider danger for Europe and other countries.
However, Zelensky did not provide evidence to support his latest statement about the missiles. Ukraine and several Western officials have previously accused North Korea of supplying weapons and military support to Russia.
Ukraine's military has said that Russia has fired dozens of North Korean missiles at Ukrainian territory since Russia began its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The latest major attack hit the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia. Ukrainian officials said seven people were killed and at least 24 others were injured. All seven people who were killed were employees of the Zaporizhzhia steel plant. The plant later stopped all of its operations following the attack.
Local officials said Russia used missiles and guided bombs during the attack. Photos released after the strikes showed burning vehicles and damaged buildings.
Other Ukrainian cities were also targeted. In Kyiv, explosions were heard around the outskirts of the capital after air raid sirens sounded twice during the night. One person was injured. A children's hospital was also damaged, although no patients or staff were injured because they had moved to shelters.
In the northeastern city of Sumy, Russian drone attacks injured two women. Later, Ukrainian officials said one person was killed when the city was attacked with guided bombs.
Russian attacks also damaged electricity infrastructure in Kherson and Kharkiv. Strikes on substations caused power outages in parts of the two regions.
Ukrainian officials said Russia launched about 120 drones overnight, along with different types of missiles. However, Ukraine's Air Force did not provide the usual details about how many missiles were fired or intercepted.
The Air Force had earlier asked media organizations to avoid exaggerated headlines and negative reports about possible shortages of air-defence missiles.
Zelensky has also warned that North Korea may be providing more military support to Russia. He said over the weekend that as many as 50,000 North Korean soldiers could be sent to fight alongside Russian forces.
North Korean troops have already been involved in the war. Around 11,000 North Korean soldiers were deployed to help Russian forces in the Kursk region after Ukrainian troops entered the area in August 2024. Western officials later said many of those soldiers suffered heavy casualties.
While Russia has been attacking Ukraine, Ukraine has also increased its attacks inside Russian territory.
In western Russia, warehouses belonging to Wildberries, one of the country's largest online retailers, were reportedly hit. The company said its facilities in the Voronezh region were evacuated after reports of explosions and fire. Wildberries has not confirmed that the facilities were directly attacked by Ukraine.
Ukrainian drone attacks have previously targeted Wildberries warehouses. Kyiv has said some of these attacks were aimed at logistics centers that could be used to obtain equipment for the Russian military.
Ukraine has also carried out attacks much deeper inside Russia. A recent drone attack in Russia's Tatarstan region killed at least 13 people and injured around 75 others, according to Russian and Ukrainian officials. The attack was one of the deadliest Ukrainian strikes inside Russia since the beginning of the full-scale war.
Ukraine's military said it had targeted an oil refinery in the region. Images shared online showed large clouds of smoke and flames following the attack. The Uzbek consulate in Tatarstan said seven of those killed were Uzbek citizens.
Zelensky also praised a Ukrainian air strike against a Russian petrochemical facility in western Siberia. He described the attack as an important achievement for Ukraine and said his country would continue carrying out long-range strikes against Russian targets.
The latest attacks show that the war is continuing to expand beyond the main front lines. Russia is using drones, missiles and guided bombs against Ukrainian cities, while Ukraine is increasingly using long-range drones to strike military, energy and industrial targets inside Russia.
The accusations over North Korean missiles also highlight the growing international involvement in the conflict. Ukraine says North Korea's military assistance is helping Russia continue its war, while Ukrainian officials are warning that the involvement of foreign troops and weapons could make the conflict more dangerous.
For now, fighting and air attacks continue across both countries, with civilians and infrastructure remaining at serious risk.
Summary
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia is using missiles supplied by North Korea to attack Ukraine. The latest Russian strikes on the city of Zaporizhzhia killed seven people and injured at least 24 others. Ukraine says North Korean ballistic missiles were used in the attack, although Zelensky has not provided evidence for his latest claim. Russia has also continued launching drones and missiles at other Ukrainian cities, while Ukraine has carried out drone attacks deep inside Russia.
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