Zelenskyy says Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia used North Korean missiles, killing six

Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched an overnight attack on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia using North Korean ballistic missiles, including Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles, along with guided aerial bombs. The strike killed six people and wounded 19, regional authorities reported.

"The city was struck with North Korean ballistic missiles, Zircons, and guided aerial bombs," Zelenskyy told the nation in his nightly address.

Zelenskyy added that Russia had received additional ballistic missiles from Pyongyang and was preparing to station more North Korean troops on Russian soil, a claim he said underscored Moscow's reliance on foreign military supplies.

Regional military administration head Ivan Fedorov described the assault as "massive" and updated the casualty count to six dead. Simultaneous attacks hit Kyiv and the Dnipropetrovsk region, where drone and artillery strikes killed three people and injured five.

Russia's defence ministry said its forces carried out a high-precision strike on military-industrial facilities and transport hubs in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia. Ukrainian officials noted that only certain air-defence systems, such as U.S. Patriot missiles, can intercept ballistic missiles, and a shortage of PAC-3 interceptors has worsened.

The incident comes amid heightened scrutiny of the deepening military ties between Russia and North Korea, which signed a mutual defence pact in June 2024. Analysts say the partnership includes the exchange of troops, ammunition and technology, while North Korea seeks economic support from Moscow and China.