Zelensky says Russia used North Korean missiles in strike

Ukraine and Russia exchanged overnight strikes, with President Volodymyr Zelensky saying Moscow used North Korean ballistic missiles in an attack on Zaporizhzhia that killed at least six people and injured at least 19. Officials also reported damage and injuries in Kyiv, while power disruptions were recorded in Kherson and Kharkiv after strikes on substations.

In Russia, Ukrainian attacks were reported in the Voronezh region, where warehouses linked to the online retailer Wildberries were hit. Wildberries has not confirmed that its logistics facilities were struck, but said its sites in the border region have been evacuated.

Zaporizhzhia strike and Zelensky’s North Korea allegation

Zelensky said in a video address on Monday Zelensky said in a video address on Monday evening that the Zaporizhzhia strikes involved ballistic missiles supplied by Russia’s ally, North Korea. He said “for the first time” Russia “cannot wage war without reinforcements from North Korea,” and argued that repeated use of North Korean weapons in Ukraine allows them to be tested and improved. It was not the first time Zelensky has said Russia is receiving military support from North Korea. Over the weekend, he warned that as many as 50,000 North Korean soldiers were being sent to join the campaign defending Russian territory. Zaporizhzhia Regional Governor Ivan Fedorov said the city was hit with missiles and guided bombs, and posted photos showing vehicles and buildings on fire. He said industrial facilities, infrastructure and non-residential buildings were damaged in the attack. Kyiv, regional outages, and drone totals without missile figures

President Volodymyr Zelensky

In Kyiv, one person was reported injured after strikes overnight. Air raid sirens sounded twice, and explosions were heard on the outskirts of the capital, where fires were triggered, officials said. Officials said a strike damaged a hospital in Kyiv, but staff and patients were sheltering at the time. Separately, strikes on substations in Kherson and Kharkiv led to power outages. Ukrainian officials said Russia launched 120 drones overnight along with multiple types of missiles. They did not provide a number of missiles fired or intercepted, a change from prior disclosures, following an Air Force statement on Monday urging the media not to publish “sensationalised headlines” or “spread pessimism” about a shortage of air defence interceptors. Wildberries facilities in Voronezh evacuated after reported strike There were reports of a fire and explosions at a logistics centre linked to Wildberries in Russia’s Voronezh region. The company, often described as Russia’s Amazon, said its facilities in the region have been evacuated and has been repeatedly targeted in recent weeks, according to the report.

In July, Ukrainian drone attacks on several Wildberries warehouses disrupted operations for many small and medium-sized Russian businesses. Kyiv said at the time it was aiming at logistics hubs used to purchase military equipment and to disrupt supplies to the Russian army.

Deadly Tatarstan strike a day earlier

The latest overnight attacks followed Ukrainian drone strikes that killed at least 13 people, including one child, in Russia’s republic of Tatarstan, more than 1,100 km (680 miles) from the Ukrainian border. At least 75 people were injured, and Ukraine’s Armed Forces said the Tanevo oil refinery had been hit.

Verified images posted to social media showed large plumes of smoke and flames in daylight, with air raid sirens audible in the background. The Uzkbek consulate in Tatarstan said seven of those killed were citizens of Uzbekistan.

In his Monday address, Zelensky also praised what he called a successful air strike on a Russian petrochemical plant in western Siberia as a “very significant achievement,” and said Ukraine would conduct more deep strikes to press the case that peace is necessary. Some operational details, including missile interception figures, remain unclear in official reporting.