Russian forces carried out an overnight barrage across Ukraine that killed at least 12 people and wounded dozens, according to Aljazeera. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia sustained the heaviest impact from the assault.
Zaporizhzhia Hit by Ballistic Missiles
Zelenskyy reported that the city was struck by North Korean ballistic missiles, Zircon anti-ship missiles, and precision-guided KAB aerial bombs in an operation directed at civilian infrastructure. According to the Zaporizhstal steel plant, the ballistic strike killed employees who were on their way to a shelter immediately after an air raid alert sounded, leaving 21 other colleagues wounded. Local officials in Zaporizhzhia reported varying figures of wounded individuals ranging from 19 to 20 people.
In addition to the casualties in Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian officials announced that six more people were killed overnight in the Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions. Local authorities confirmed that three of those deaths, including a 15-year-old boy, occurred in the central Dnipropetrovsk region due to Russian drones and artillery.
Hospitals and Infrastructure Targeted in Kyiv
In the capital city of Kyiv, overnight Russian strikes caused fires and hit public infrastructure. According to Ukraine’s state emergency service, a strike landed on the grounds of a children’s hospital, creating two craters and shattering windows while children and medical workers sheltered inside without suffering injuries. Zelenskyy also noted that an infectious diseases hospital was struck in Kyiv, while power outages were reported following attacks on the frontline cities of Kherson and Kharkiv.
The Russian Ministry of Defence stated that its overnight operations targeted defense industry facilities, transport hubs, and logistics centers in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia, as well as a major iron and steel works supporting Ukraine’s war effort. Meanwhile, Russian forces separately claimed control of two settlements, identifying them as Shcherbakivka in the Kharkiv region and Nove Pole in the Zaporizhzhia region, according to ABC.
North Korean Military Deployment and Escalation Warnings
Zelenskyy accused Moscow of escalating the conflict by deploying North Korean ballistic missiles and receiving additional military help from Pyongyang for the four-year-old invasion. He warned that Russia is increasing ballistic missile production to exploit Kyiv’s critical shortage of Patriot air defense interceptors.
Every step Russia takes – increasing ballistic missile production, bringing in North Korean equipment, preparing for mobilisation – all of this shows that Moscow is preparing not for peace, but for escalation,
Zelenskyy posted on social media, as cited by Reuters.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a strategic partnership agreement in 2024 that includes a mutual assistance provision. According to cbsnews.com, North Korea previously sent an estimated 14,000 soldiers to Russia’s Kursk region in 2024, and Zelenskyy warned that ongoing military collaboration helps Pyongyang improve its capabilities and poses a future danger to Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and other regional nations.
Cross-Border Drone Attacks Inside Russia
As aerial bombardments continued across Ukraine, Russian regions also faced incoming drone strikes. Regional governor Alexandr Gusev reported that an overnight Ukrainian drone attack killed one person and injured two others in the Voronezh region. Russian air defense units destroyed 15 drones over the city of Voronezh and five surrounding districts.
Falling debris from the intercepted drones triggered fires at warehouse and logistics facilities. Russian online retailer Wildberries confirmed that its logistical facilities in Voronezh were evacuated and caught fire following the attack. Additionally, regional governor Yevgeny Solntsev reported that an industrial enterprise caught fire in the Orenburg region following a Ukrainian military strike targeting an oil refinery in Orsk.
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