Russia using North Korean missiles to strike Ukraine, Zelensky says

Image source, ReutersByDan Johnson, Reporting fromKyiv and Tom McArthurPublished20 minutes agoUkraine and Russia have continued striking each other overnight, with Volodymyr Zelensky accusing Moscow of using North Korean missiles.The Ukrainian president said strikes in Zaporizhzhia - which killed at least six and injured at least 19 - involved ballistic missiles from Russia's ally.In Voronezh, in southern Russia, warehouses belonging to the online retailer, Wildberries, were hit by Ukraine. The company, known as Russia's Amazon, has been repeatedly targeted in recent weeks.The attacks come a day after at least 13 people were killed, including one child, in Ukrainian drone strikes on the Russian republic of Tatarstan, more than 1,100 km (680 miles) from the Ukrainian border.In a video address on Monday evening, Zelensky said "for the first time" Russia "cannot wage war without reinforcements from North Korea"."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", Zelensky said, adding that this poses a danger to the rest of the world.In his address, Zelensky also hailed a successful air strike on a Russian petrochemical plant in western Siberia on Monday as a "very significant achievement" by the Ukrainian military.He promised "more Ukrainian deep strikes, which should demonstrate to Russia and the Russians that peace is necessary".It is not the first time Zelensky has accused Russia of receiving military assistance from North Korea.He warned over the weekend that as many as 50,000 North Korean soldiers are being sent to join the military campaign defending Russian territory.Zaporizhzhia Regional Governor Ivan Fedorov posted photos of vehicles and buildings on fire, saying Moscow had struck the city using missiles and guided bombs. In addition to those killed, at least 19 others were injured One person was injured in strikes on Kyiv, where air raid sirens sounded twice during the night. Explosions could be heard on the outskirts of the capital, triggering fires.Fedorov said industrial facilities, infrastructure and non-residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia were hit in the Russian attack.Ukrainian officials say Russia fired 120 drones overnight and a range of different missiles, but for the first time they have not given a number of missiles fired or intercepted.It follows an Air Force statement on Monday urging the media not to write "sensationalised headlines" or "spread pessimism" about the shortage of air defence interceptors.In Kyiv, a strike damaged a hospital, but officials say staff and patients were sheltering. Meanwhile, strikes on substations in Kherson and Kharkiv resulted in power outages.Two women have been injured in a Russian drone strike on Sumy, according to Sergiy Kryvosheenko, head of the Sumy City Military Administration.The women, aged 52 and 66, were treated at the scene, he says in a post on Telegram.The strikes also damaged civilian vehicles, warehouse buildings and infrastructure facilities, he adds.Separately, there have been reports of a fire and explosions at a logistics centre of Russia's biggest online retailer, Wildberries, in the Voronezh region.Wildberries has not yet confirmed the attack, but said that its facilities in the region, which borders Ukraine, have been evacuated.In July, Ukrainian drone attacks on several retail warehouses belonging to Wildberries disrupted the operations of a large number of small and medium-sized Russian businesses.Kyiv said at the time it was targeting logistics hubs used by Russians to buy military equipment, and disrupting supplies to the Russian army.The attack on Tatarstan this week was one of the deadliest single attacks on Russia since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine in 2022.At least 75 people were injured in the strikes, with Ukraine's Armed Forces saying it had hit the city's Tanevo oil refinery.Verified images on social media showed large plumes of smoke and flames rising into the sky in daytime, with air raid sirens howling in the background.The Uzkbek consulate in Tatarstan said seven of those killed were citizens of Uzbekistan.Related topicsWar in UkraineZaporizhzhiaKyivMore on this storyAt least 13 killed in Ukrainian drone strike deep into RussiaPublished19 hours agoRussia's businesses under strain from Ukraine's attacks on WildberriesPublished23 JulyHow Ukraine is taking the war 'deeper' into RussiaPublished4 days ago