Zelenskyy says Russia used North Korean missiles in recent Ukrainian attacks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces employed ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea in an attack on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, where local officials reported six deaths and 19 injuries. Additional casualties were reported in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, where three people, including a 15-year-old boy, were killed by Russian drones and artillery.

Zelenskyy added that Russia has received more ballistic missiles from Pyongyang and is preparing to deploy additional North Korean troops. He noted that a strategic partnership signed in 2024 between President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un includes mutual assistance in case of aggression, and said the collaboration is improving North Korea’s missile capabilities.

"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, the greater the danger will later be for Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, and other countries in the region," Zelenskyy wrote on social media.

Ukrainian officials also said Russia is expanding its production of ballistic missiles to exploit Kyiv’s shortage of Patriot air-defence interceptors and is planning a larger recruitment drive for a new offensive along a 775-mile front line in eastern and southern Ukraine.

"Every step Russia takes — increasing ballistic missile production, bringing in North Korean equipment, preparing for mobilization — all of this shows that Moscow is preparing not for peace, but for escalation," Zelenskyy added on social media.