Ukraine accuses Russia of using North Korean missiles in deadly new wave of attacks

Abi Sarabia M., Philippine Canadian Inquirer
August 12, 2026

Photo courtesy: Philippine News Agency

Ukraine says Russia fired ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea in a fresh barrage of strikes that killed at least ten people and wounded dozens more across the country, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang is deepening.

The heaviest casualties were reported in Zaporizhzhia, where seven people were killed and 24 others wounded. Ukrainian authorities said the assault involved North Korean ballistic missiles, Zircon missiles and guided aerial bombs.

According to officials, the seven victims in Zaporizhzhia were workers at the Zaporizhstal steel plant who were killed while trying to reach a shelter after an air-raid alert had already sounded. Three more people were reported killed in separate Russian drone and missile strikes nearby.

In Kyiv, an infectious diseases hospital and a children’s hospital were also struck. No children or medical staff were hurt, as they had already taken shelter. 

The wider bombardment also knocked out power in parts of the country’s energy grid and other critical infrastructure.

Russia denied targeting civilian sites, saying its forces had instead struck military-industrial facilities and transport-logistics centers.

Zelenskyy said Russia has again received ballistic missiles from North Korea and is now using them in the war, calling it a sign that Moscow can no longer sustain its offensive without outside reinforcement.

“For the first time, they cannot wage war without reinforcements from North Korea. They are now preparing to deploy an additional North Korean contingent on their territory. They have received, just imagine, additional ballistic missiles from North Korea,” Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian leader argued that the war is giving Pyongyang an opportunity to test and improve its missiles and other weapons under real combat conditions, warning that the consequences extend beyond Ukraine’s borders.

He had earlier said North Korea could send between 30,000 and 50,000 additional personnel to Russia, though he did not present evidence or a timeline for any such deployment. North Korea has previously sent thousands of troops to support Russian operations against Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region.

In 2024, Russia and North Korea signed a mutual defense pact. Ukraine, South Korea and Western governments have long accused Pyongyang of supplying weapons to Moscow for use in the war.

Zelenskyy appealed to Ukraine’s allies, including countries in the Asia-Pacific region, to help reinforce the country’s air defenses.

“When we speak about the need to help us strengthen our air defense, we are also, in fact, speaking about taking away North Korea’s appetite and any interest in coming here — to our land and into our skies — with its weapons in order to learn how to wage war,” he said.

Ukraine has said it needs more air-defense systems and interceptors capable of shooting down ballistic missiles.

At the same time, Kyiv has been stepping up its own long-range drone strikes inside Russia, targeting oil facilities and logistics hubs. 

Zelenskyy said one of the most recent targets, an oil-refining facility in Tobolsk, Siberia, is more than 2,500 kilometers from Ukraine.

He said Ukraine will continue its long-range strikes to make Russia feel the cost of the war, which he said is intended to push Moscow toward peace negotiations.