Zelenskyy: Russia using North Korean missiles in Ukraine attacks

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Russia is using North Korean ballistic missiles in its recent aerial bombardment of Ukraine. Ukrainian officials confirmed that a strike on the city of Zaporizhzhia resulted in at least six deaths and 19 injuries. Ivan Fedorov, the regional governor, shared footage of burning vehicles and buildings, reporting that Russia targeted the city with missiles and guided bombs, damaging industrial facilities, infrastructure, and non-residential buildings. In Kyiv, a hospital was damaged, though officials noted that staff and patients had moved to shelters before the impact. Strikes on electrical substations in Kherson and Kharkiv caused power outages, while in Sumy, regional military head Serhiy Kryvoshynko reported that two women, aged 52 and 66, were wounded in a drone attack that also damaged civilian vehicles and warehouses. Ukrainian officials reported that Russia launched 120 drones and various missiles overnight, though they declined to release specific interception figures. This follows a request from the Ukrainian Air Force for media to avoid sensationalist headlines regarding potential shortages of air defence interceptors. In a video address on Monday night, Zelenskyy stated that Russia is increasingly reliant on North Korean support to sustain the war. He warned that the deployment of North Korean troops and weaponry in Europe allows these forces to identify tactical weaknesses, posing a broader global security risk. Zelenskyy has previously alleged that up to 50,000 North Korean troops are being deployed to assist Russian operations. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president described a drone strike on a petrochemical plant in Western Siberia as a significant achievement, vowing further long-range operations to demonstrate the necessity of peace to the Russian public. In the southern Russian region of Voronezh, warehouses belonging to the e-commerce firm Wildberries were targeted. While the company, often referred to as the 'Russian Amazon', has not confirmed the strike, it announced the evacuation of its facilities in the region, which borders Ukraine. Kyiv has previously targeted such sites, alleging they are used as logistics hubs for military procurement. These strikes follow a major Ukrainian drone attack on Tatarstan, which resulted in at least 13 deaths, including a child, and 75 injuries. It remains one of the deadliest single strikes within Russia since the 2022 invasion. The Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed the Taneco oil refinery was the target. The Uzbek consulate in Tatarstan reported that seven of those killed were Uzbek nationals.