Russian strikes kill up to 13 in Ukraine as Zelensky warns of North Korean missile use

Overnight bombardment

Russian forces launched a coordinated wave of missiles, drones and glide bombs across Ukraine overnight on 10-11 August, targeting cities from Zaporizhzhia in the southeast to Kyiv in the north. The Ukrainian air force confirmed that Russian ballistic missiles struck Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kharkiv and Chernihiv. In Zaporizhzhia, a city of more than 700,000 inhabitants before the war, regional military administration chief Ivan Fedorov reported six killed and 19 wounded, with residential buildings and other structures damaged. A steel plant in the city was also hit, with a company reporting seven workers killed and 21 injured. The Russian defence ministry said its forces struck "military industrial facilities and transport and logistics centers" in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia with "ground-based precision weapons."

Casualties across regions

The total death toll varied by source as reports continued to arrive throughout 11 August. AP and France 24 reported at least nine civilians killed, The Independent reported at least 10, and Ouest France reported at least 13. In the central Dnipropetrovsk region, three people including a 15-year-old boy were killed by Russian drones and artillery. Ouest France reported six additional deaths and 16 wounded overnight in the Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions combined. In Kyiv, a missile strike damaged an infectious diseases hospital and commercial premises, and the grounds of a children's hospital were struck, leaving two craters and shattering windows. Children and medical staff were in shelters and no one was hurt at the hospital. Power substations in Kherson and Kharkiv were hit overnight, causing electricity outages. More than 120 drones, mostly jet-powered Shahed models, were deployed across the country.

North Korean missiles and troops

Zelensky said Russian forces used ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea in the attack on Zaporizhzhia, along with Russian Zircon missiles and guided aerial bombs. He described the assault as calculated to inflict maximum damage, particularly to civilian infrastructure. On Monday 10 August, Zelensky said Russia had received additional ballistic missiles from Pyongyang and was preparing to deploy more North Korean troops. Over the weekend, he said a decision had been made to deploy 30,000 to 50,000 North Koreans on Russian soil, without specifying how he obtained those figures. France 24 reported that up to 50,000 North Korean soldiers had been deployed in Russia. North Korea and Russia signed a strategic partnership agreement just over two years ago, with a defence accord concluded in 2024. Thousands of North Korean troops participated in combat against Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk region in 2024-2025.

“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.”

Diplomatic and domestic developments

Zelensky said on Tuesday that Ukraine had conveyed proposals to US negotiators for a plan to end the more than four-year-old war, now in its 1,629th day, offering no details on the content. He called on the United States to help strengthen Ukraine's defence, particularly with air defence systems, and to pressure Russia into preparing to end the war rather than prolonging it. US-led diplomatic efforts have stalled as Washington grew frustrated with the lack of progress and its attention turned to the Iran war. The Institute for the Study of War said in an analysis that the Kremlin would not enter serious negotiations as long as Putin believed he had a viable military path to achieving his objectives. Ukraine says Russia is scaling up ballistic missile production to exploit Kyiv's critical shortage of Patriot air defence interceptors and is preparing to recruit more troops for a new push along the 1,250-kilometre front line. Russia's Supreme Court on Monday barred the liberal Yabloko party, the only officially registered party opposing the war, from competing in next month's parliamentary election. South Korea's foreign ministry said military cooperation between North Korea and Russia directly affects its security and violates UN Security Council resolutions.