Zelensky: Russia Using North Korean Missiles to Strike Ukraine
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Zelensky accused Russia of using North Korean ballistic missiles to strike Zaporizhzhia, killing seven Zaporizhstal metallurgical plant employees and injuring at least 24; he said 'for the first time' Russia 'cannot wage war without reinforcements from North Korea'
- North Korean troops have fought alongside Russian forces since August 2024, with 11,000 deployed to Kursk; Zelensky warned over the weekend that as many as 50,000 more are being sent, and Western officials told the BBC in January 2025 that Kursk-deployed North Korean troops suffered nearly 40% casualties in three months
- Ukraine's Air Force urged media not to write 'sensationalised headlines' or 'spread pessimism' about its interceptor shortage and, for the first time, did not disclose how many of the 120 Russian drones and accompanying missiles fired overnight were intercepted
- Ukraine struck a petrochemical plant in western Siberia on Monday, which Zelensky called a 'very significant achievement,' and hit Wildberries logistics facilities in Voronezh — Russia's largest online retailer, which has been repeatedly targeted in recent weeks
- Ukrainian drone strikes on the Russian republic of Tatarstan the previous day killed at least 13 people including one child and injured 75 by hitting the Tanevo oil refinery; seven of the dead were Uzbek citizens
Why it matters: Russia's reported reliance on North Korean ballistic missiles, paired with the 11,000 North Korean troops already in Kursk and Zelensky's warning of 50,000 more, shows Moscow drawing directly on Pyongyang's arsenal and manpower. Ukraine's refusal to disclose missile-interception figures, combined with an explicit Air Force plea to media about 'sensationalised headlines,' points to a worsening air-defense crisis that constrains how aggressively Kyiv can respond.
Ask SkimNews
