Russia and North Korea Expand Military Alliance Against Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of using North Korean ballistic missiles to strike Zaporizhzhia. This development follows reports that Russia and North Korea have collaborated in the offensive against Ukraine since 2024, including the alleged deployment of up to 50,000 North Korean soldiers to defend Russian territory, according to the BBC.

The strikes in Zaporizhzhia killed at least six people and injured at least 19 others. Zaporizhzhia Regional Governor Ivan Fedorov reported that the attacks targeted industrial facilities, infrastructure, and non-residential buildings using missiles and guided bombs.

In a video address, Zelensky stated that for the first time, Russia cannot wage war without reinforcements from North Korea. He warned that the use of North Korean missiles and soldiers in Europe allows the ally to correct its military shortcomings and blind spots, which he said poses a danger to the rest of the world, according to the BBC.

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Russian missile and drone strikes across Ukraine

Ukrainian officials reported that Russia launched 120 drones overnight. While officials typically provide the number of missiles fired or intercepted, they did not provide those figures for this specific wave of attacks, according to the BBC.

The overnight strikes impacted several regions:

• Kyiv: A strike damaged a hospital, though officials stated patients and staff were in shelters. One person was injured.
• Sumy: Two women, aged 52 and 66, were injured in a drone strike that also damaged warehouse buildings, civilian vehicles, and infrastructure, according to Sergiy Kryvosheenko, head of the Sumy City Military Administration.
• Kherson and Kharkiv: Strikes on electrical substations caused power outages.

The Ukrainian Air Force issued a statement urging media outlets to avoid sensationalized headlines or spreading pessimism regarding a shortage of air defense interceptors, according to the BBC.

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Ukrainian counter-strikes in Russia and Siberia

Ukraine targeted logistics and industrial sites within Russian borders. Zelensky described a Monday air strike on a Russian petrochemical plant in western Siberia as a very significant achievement by the Ukrainian military, according to the BBC.

In the Voronezh region, explosions and fire were reported at a logistics center belonging to Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer. While Wildberries has not confirmed the attack, the company stated it evacuated its facilities in the region, which borders Ukraine, according to the BBC.

Kyiv previously stated in July that it targets Wildberries logistics hubs to disrupt the supply of military equipment to the Russian army. These attacks have disrupted operations for numerous small and medium-sized Russian businesses, according to the BBC.

Additional drone strikes occurred in the Russian republic of Tatarstan, located more than 1,100 km from the Ukrainian border. Those attacks resulted in at least 13 deaths, including one child, according to the BBC.