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North Korean missiles alleged
Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least 12 people overnight and wounded dozens, Kyiv said, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of using North Korean missiles in the raid.
“Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least 12 people overnight”
Zelenskyy said the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia was worst hit, with at least six people killed and at least 19 wounded, and he said all those killed were employees of the Zaporizhstal steel plant.
In the capital Kyiv, Zelenskyy said an infectious diseases hospital was hit, while strikes on the frontline cities of Kherson and Kharkiv caused power outages.
AP reported that Russia attacked Ukrainian cities with missiles, drones and glide bombs Tuesday, killing at least 10 civilians, and Zelenskyy said Moscow is getting new military help from North Korea for its more than 4-year-old invasion.
AP also said Zelenskyy warned that Russia used ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea in an overnight attack on Zaporizhzhia, where a company said seven workers at its steel plant were killed and 21 injured.
Zelenskyy’s escalation warning
Zelenskyy framed the alleged North Korean involvement as part of a broader push, saying on social media: "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,".
AP reported that Ukraine’s air force did not say in its daily report how many missiles Russia launched overnight, and it said it was not clear whether the omission was deliberate.
BBC said Zelenskyy told viewers in a video address on Monday evening that "for the first time" Russia "cannot wage war without reinforcements from North Korea".
BBC also reported that Zelenskyy said the more North Korean strikes there are, "the more their missiles and soldiers are used, the more they correct their shortcomings and blind spots".
In Zaporizhzhia, BBC said all seven casualties were employees of Ukraine's Zaporizhstal metallurgical plant, and it said the company later halted all its operations.
What comes next
Ukraine said the alleged North Korean missile and troop support threatens its ability to stop further attacks, with AP reporting that Zelenskyy said Russia is scaling up production of ballistic missiles and aiming to exploit Kyiv’s critical shortage of Patriot air defense interceptors.
“aiming to exploit Kyiv’s critical shortage of Patriot air defense interceptors”
AP said Ukraine’s air force reported Russia targeted Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia with Zircon anti-ship missiles and Iskander ballistic missiles, while launching 120 long-range strike drones across the country.
AP also reported that Russia’s highest court ordered that Yabloko, the only political party opposing the war, be excluded from the ballot in the Sept. 18-20 parliamentary election.
In Kyiv, AP said one strike hit the grounds of a children’s hospital, leaving two craters and shattering windows, and it said nobody was hurt because children and medical workers were in bomb shelters.
Al Jazeera added that Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its overnight attacks targeted defence industry facilities and transport and logistics centres in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia, while Zelenskyy said the city was struck with North Korean ballistic missiles, Zircons, and guided aerial bombs.
