Ukraine war briefing: North Korean missiles hit Zaporizhzhia in deadly attack

What Happened

Russian forces launched a ballistic missile attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia, using missiles supplied by North Korea, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The strike killed seven civilian workers and injured 21 at a plant operated by the Metinvest steel company. In the central Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian drone and artillery strikes killed three civilians, including a 15-year-old boy. A separate strike hit a children's hospital, creating two craters but causing no injuries, according to Ukraine's State Emergency Service. Zelenskyy stated that Russia used a combination of missiles, drones, and glide bombs in the attacks on Tuesday. Ukraine’s General Staff claimed its forces struck an oil refinery in Orsk, Russia’s Orenburg region, causing a fire; the refinery processes about 44 million barrels of crude oil annually. The Russian online retailer Wildberries reported that its logistical facilities in the Voronezh region were attacked and caught fire. Romania’s defence ministry announced its navy destroyed two suspected Russian Gerbera-type drones drifting in the Black Sea about 90 nautical miles from Constanta, after Ukraine indicated the drones were not theirs. Zelenskyy warned that Russia is exploiting Ukraine’s critical shortage of Patriot air defence interceptors to step up ballistic missile attacks, and that Moscow is preparing a new mobilization of several hundred thousand troops after the September 'pseudo-election.' He also said Ukraine had handed proposals to US negotiators for a plan to end the war, but the Institute for the Study of War assessed that the Kremlin will not seriously negotiate as long as it believes it can achieve its objectives. The UN reported that over 16,000 civilians detained by Russia remain deprived of liberty, often held incommunicado and subjected to widespread torture, including sexual violence.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The use of North Korean missiles deepens the military partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang, extending the range and volume of strikes on Ukrainian cities while Kyiv faces critical shortages of air defence interceptors. Zelenskyy’s warnings of a new Russian mobilization following a stage-managed election signal preparations for a prolonged escalation, undercutting near-term peace prospects. The report of torture and detention of thousands of civilians underscores the humanitarian and legal dimensions of the conflict.

Watch For

Russia’s parliamentary elections in September, which Zelenskyy predicts will be used as a pretext for a rapid mobilization of several hundred thousand troops; whether additional North Korean forces—up to 50,000 according to recent warnings—are deployed; the fate of Ukraine’s proposals to US negotiators and any further diplomatic engagement; and the operational status of Patriot air defence systems amid continuing Russian ballistic missile strikes.