Russian strikes kill 9 in Ukraine; Zelenskyy warns of more North Korean support

Russian forces launched a fresh wave of missiles, drones, and glide bombs across Ukraine overnight, killing at least nine civilians, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday. The strikes came as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Moscow is receiving additional military support from North Korea for its more than four-year invasion.

In the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, six people were killed and 19 wounded, according to local authorities. Zelenskyy said the attack used ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea. In the central Dnipropetrovsk region, three more people, including a 15-year-old boy, died from drone and artillery strikes.

The Ukrainian leader said late Monday that Russia has received more ballistic missiles from Pyongyang and is preparing to deploy additional North Korean troops. Moscow and Pyongyang signed a strategic partnership agreement just over two years ago, pledging mutual aid if either is attacked. North Korea has already sent thousands of troops and large quantities of weapons to support Russia's war effort.

Zelenskyy warned that the battlefield experience gained in Ukraine would help North Korea threaten other countries in its region. He also said Russia is ramping up production of ballistic missiles, aiming to exploit Ukraine's shortage of Patriot air defense interceptors, and is preparing to increase recruitment for a new offensive along the 1,250-kilometer front line.

"Every step Russia takes — increasing ballistic missile production, bringing in North Korean equipment, preparing for mobilization — all of this shows that Moscow is preparing not for peace, but for escalation," Zelenskyy said on social media.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said in an analysis that the Kremlin will not enter serious negotiations as long as Putin believes he has a viable military path to his objectives. It added that Ukraine's Patriot shortages give Russia an opportunity to cause serious damage over the coming winter, delaying meaningful talks.

In Kyiv, one strike hit the grounds of a children's hospital, leaving two craters and shattering windows, according to the State Emergency Service. Children and medical workers were in bomb shelters and no one was hurt. Another strike started a fire in a warehouse that spread across about 1,200 square meters.

Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces struck "military industrial facilities and transport and logistics centers" in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia with ground-based precision weapons, including drone storage facilities and a metallurgical plant. Ukraine's air force reported that Russia used Zircon anti-ship missiles and Iskander ballistic missiles, along with 120 long-range strike drones.

Meanwhile, Moscow claimed its air defenses intercepted almost 400 Ukrainian drones over 14 regions and occupied Crimea. Russia's largest online retailer, Wildberries, said its logistics facilities in the Voronezh region were attacked and caught fire, but the blaze was extinguished and goods were largely undamaged. Ukrainian strikes on Russian infrastructure have been part of Kyiv's strategy to compel Putin to negotiate.

Independent outlet Astra reported that an oil refinery in Orsk, about 1,300 kilometers from the border, was hit, with images showing smoke rising. There was no official confirmation of the attack.