Zelensky says Russia using North Korean missiles to strike Ukraine as military ties deepen
By SCN News Desk
KYIV, — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of using North Korean ballistic missiles in a new wave of deadly attacks across Ukraine, warning that Moscow is becoming increasingly dependent on military support from Pyongyang as the war enters a more dangerous phase.
At least nine civilians were killed in Russian aerial attacks overnight and dozens were wounded across several regions, including Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk, according to Ukrainian authorities. The assault involved ballistic missiles, drones and guided aerial bombs.
Zelensky said North Korean-supplied ballistic missiles were among the weapons fired at Ukraine, alongside Russian Zircon missiles and precision-guided bombs.
The claim adds to growing evidence of deepening military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang — a partnership that has expanded from ammunition supplies to ballistic missiles, military personnel and potentially tens of thousands of additional North Korean troops.
Deadly strike hits Zaporizhzhia
One of the heaviest attacks struck the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, where six people were killed and about 20 wounded.
Additional fatalities were reported in other parts of Ukraine as Russian forces launched attacks across multiple regions.
Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces targeted military-related infrastructure, including facilities in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine said civilian areas were also damaged.
In Kyiv, strikes hit locations including the grounds of a children's hospital and a warehouse, although no casualties were reported at those sites.
Ukraine says missiles came from North Korea
Zelensky's accusation is supported by Ukraine's earlier examination of missile wreckage recovered following Russian attacks.
Ukraine's Defence Ministry said its specialists have identified and examined components from North Korean KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles repeatedly used by Russia against Ukrainian territory.
The missiles provide Russia with an additional source of ballistic firepower at a time when Ukraine is struggling to maintain enough interceptor missiles for its Western-supplied air-defense systems.
Ballistic missiles are particularly difficult to stop because of their speed and trajectory.
Zelensky has repeatedly identified them as one of Ukraine's most urgent defensive problems, calling on Western governments to accelerate deliveries of missiles for Patriot and other anti-ballistic systems.
Zelensky says Moscow increasingly depends on Pyongyang
The Ukrainian president went further Tuesday, arguing that North Korean support has become important to Russia's ability to sustain the war.
Zelensky said Moscow is receiving additional ballistic missiles and other military assistance from Pyongyang as Ukraine's own long-range strikes increasingly reach Russian military and energy infrastructure far behind the battlefield.
North Korea has emerged as one of Russia's most important military partners during the conflict.
Its support has included artillery ammunition, rockets and ballistic missiles, while North Korean personnel have also been deployed alongside Russian forces.
The relationship has transformed what was initially a largely European war into a conflict involving direct military resources from East Asia.
Up to 50,000 additional North Koreans could be deployed
Ukraine is also warning that the cooperation could expand substantially.
Zelensky said Ukrainian intelligence indicates between 30,000 and 50,000 North Koreans could eventually be deployed to Russia, increasing an earlier estimate of around 30,000.
Current reporting also points to a North Korean missile unit in western Russia equipped with as many as 120 ballistic missiles.
The scale of any future deployment has not been independently confirmed, and Zelensky's figures should therefore be treated as Ukrainian intelligence assessments rather than established troop totals.
If implemented at the upper end, however, a deployment of 50,000 personnel would represent a significant expansion of North Korea's direct role in Russia's war effort.
Ukraine targets Russia deep behind the front
The growing Russia-North Korea relationship is developing alongside another major change in the war: Ukraine's increasing ability to attack targets deep inside Russia.
Kyiv has expanded long-range drone operations against oil refineries, military production facilities, air-defense systems and logistics infrastructure, attempting to raise the economic and military cost of Moscow's campaign.
Those operations are now reaching facilities hundreds and sometimes more than 1,000 kilometers from Ukraine.
Russia, meanwhile, continues to use its advantage in ballistic missiles and long-range aerial weapons to strike Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
The result is an increasingly long-range war in which geography offers both sides less protection than it once did.
Air-defense shortage becomes critical
Ukraine's ability to counter ballistic missiles remains one of Kyiv's biggest vulnerabilities.
Zelensky has repeatedly asked the United States and European allies for additional Patriot interceptors and other systems capable of destroying ballistic threats.
At a June meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, he called protection against ballistic missiles a top priority and urged Ukraine's partners to increase anti-ballistic capabilities.
Ukraine renewed that appeal in July, saying Patriot missiles were needed as quickly as possible as Russian ballistic attacks intensified.
Tuesday's disclosure about North Korean missiles gives Kyiv another argument for additional Western air-defense supplies: Ukraine is no longer defending itself only against Russia's domestic missile arsenal.
It is also confronting weapons supplied by one of Moscow's closest military partners.
War becoming increasingly internationalized
The North Korean missile issue carries significance beyond the immediate battlefield.
Russia has access to external sources of ammunition and ballistic weapons while Ukraine remains heavily dependent on the United States and European allies for advanced air-defense interceptors and other military equipment.
That creates two increasingly interconnected military networks.
Moscow is drawing support from countries including North Korea, while Kyiv depends heavily on NATO states and other partners.
Tuesday's attacks underline how deeply those external relationships are now shaping the conflict.
For Ukraine, the immediate priority remains stopping the missiles.
But Zelensky's broader warning is strategic: Russia's ability to continue its war is increasingly tied to military support coming from outside Russia itself.