Russian forces launched a massive overnight barrage using missiles, drones, and glide bombs that killed at least 10 civilians across Ukraine, according to AP News. The southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia bore the brunt of the assault, where local authorities confirmed that seven people were killed and 24 others were wounded.
Deadly Missile Barrage Strikes Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the overnight attack on Zaporizhzhia involved ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea, alongside Zircon anti-ship missiles and precision-guided aerial bombs. Local authorities and the Zaporizhstal steel plant confirmed that all seven individuals killed in the city were employees of the plant, caught by the ballistic strike as they headed to a shelter immediately after an air raid alert was announced. An additional 21 colleagues at the facility were wounded.
Three more people, including a 15-year-old boy, were killed by Russian drones and artillery in the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region, according to local authorities. Meanwhile, strikes on the capital of Kyiv triggered fires and struck medical facilities. Officials reported that an infectious diseases hospital and a children’s hospital were hit, leaving two craters and shattering windows. The health ministry stated that children and medical staff escaped harm because they were sheltering at the time of the attack. Russia’s defense ministry asserted that its forces delivered a group strike using high-precision ground-based weapons targeting military-industrial enterprises and transport-logistics centers in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia.
Escalating North Korean Military Assistance
The latest bombardments underscore deepening military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang. Zelenskyy mocked Russian President Vladimir Putin for relying on foreign support, declaring that For the first time in its history, Russia cannot wage war without reinforcements from North Korea,
according to the Independent.
Zelenskyy warned that North Korea is preparing to deploy an additional contingent of between 30,000 and 50,000 troops to Russian territory, marking a substantial escalation from earlier deployments. Ukrainian intelligence and independent assessments note that Pyongyang has previously supplied millions of artillery and mortar rounds, multiple-launch rocket systems, and ballistic missiles to support the invasion.
Experts and Ukrainian officials warn that active combat engagement is helping North Korea improve its military capabilities and rectify shortcomings. Zelenskyy cautioned that this battlefield experience will pose a greater danger to regional neighbors, including Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines.
Air Defense Shortages and Wider Conflict Strains
Ukraine continues to face an acute shortage of advanced air defense interceptors, particularly the US-made Patriot systems required to intercept fast-moving ballistic missiles. Kyiv reports that these critical supply constraints allow a high proportion of incoming Russian ballistic strikes to bypass defenses, inflicting severe damage on infrastructure as winter approaches.
In response to the ongoing campaign, Ukraine has pursued long-range counter-attacks targeting Russian logistics and revenue sources. Ukrainian forces struck an oil refinery in the Russian city of Orsk, located approximately 1,500 kilometers from the frontline, alongside repeated drone strikes on logistical facilities belonging to Russia’s largest e-commerce retailer, Wildberries, in the Voronezh region. Russian defense officials reported intercepting nearly 400 Ukrainian drones across 14 regions and Crimea, while Wildberries confirmed that fires at its attacked warehouses were extinguished with goods largely undamaged.
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