Ukraine Strikes Kill at Least Nine as Kyiv Accuses Russia of Using North Korean Missiles
The latest Ukraine strikes killed at least nine people and wounded dozens across the country overnight, with Ukrainian officials accusing Moscow of using North Korean ballistic missiles in an attack on Zaporizhzhia that also hit civilian infrastructure including a children’s hospital in Kyiv. [1]
Casualties and Targets in Latest Russian Barrage
Zaporizhzhia was the worst hit, with six killed and 19 wounded by North Korean ballistic missiles, Zircons, and guided aerial bombs targeting civilian infrastructure. [1] The southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia suffered the heaviest losses when the barrage struck multiple sites, leaving six people dead and 19 others wounded according to statements from President Volodymyr Zelensky. [1] Ukrainian reports described the weapons used as North Korean ballistic missiles along with Zircons and guided aerial bombs, noting that the attack appeared aimed at civilian infrastructure. [1] Three more deaths occurred in the Dnipropetrovsk region from Russian drones and missiles, while strikes caused power outages in Kherson, Kharkiv, and hit an infectious diseases hospital in Kyiv. [1] In Kyiv itself an infectious diseases hospital was struck during the same wave of attacks. [1] A children’s hospital in Kyiv was struck but no children or staff were harmed as they were in a shelter. [1] The health ministry confirmed that the children’s hospital sustained damage including broken windows and debris in the courtyard, yet all patients and staff remained safe inside shelters at the time. [1]
Zelensky Accusations on North Korean Involvement
Zelensky renewed warnings that Russia received additional ballistic missiles from North Korea and that 30,000 to 50,000 North Korean troops may deploy to Russia, amid stepped-up Russian ballistic missile attacks that have raised civilian deaths to the highest levels since 2022. [1] President Zelensky stated on Monday that Russia had received additional ballistic missiles from North Korea. [1] Over the weekend he alleged that a decision had been made for 30,000 to 50,000 North Koreans to be deployed on the territory of Russia. [1] Kyiv has not explained how it obtained the figures and did not provide a timeframe for the deployment. [1] Zelensky is urging allies in the Asia-Pacific to supply air defence to Kyiv in order to counter Pyongyang’s capabilities. [1] Russia and North Korea signed a mutual defence pact in 2024, ahead of Pyongyang sending troops to help push Ukrainian forces out of Russia’s Kursk region. [1] In recent weeks Russia has considerably stepped-up strikes with ballistic missiles, a fast and powerful weapon that is hard to intercept. [1] Only the most advanced air defence, such as the US-made Patriot system, is capable of intercepting them. [1] Ukraine has been reporting an acute shortage of Patriot interceptors since the US-Israeli war against Iran began in February. [1]
Russian Account of the Strikes
Russia’s defence ministry claimed the strikes hit military-industrial enterprises and transport-logistics centres in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia. [1] Russia’s defence ministry said its forces delivered a group strike with high-precision ground-based weapons, hitting military-industrial enterprises and transport-logistics centres in the cities of Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia. [1] Separate reporting indicated that Russia says it struck military-related warehouses and steel works in overnight Ukraine strikes. [3] Additional accounts from Russian sources repeated that military-related warehouses and steel works were among the targets hit during the operation. [4]
Ukrainian Counterstrike on Russian Oil Refinery
Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed a Ukrainian strike on the Orsknefteorgsintez oil refinery in Russia’s Orenburg Oblast, causing a fire at a facility processing 6 million tonnes of oil per year. [2] Ukraine's General Staff has reported that units from the Ukrainian defence forces struck the Orsknefteorgsintez oil refinery in Russia's Orenburg Oblast on the night of 10-11 August. [2] A fire was recorded at the refinery following the strike. [2] The extent of the damage is being assessed, the General Staff said. [2] Orsknefteorgsintez is one of the largest oil refineries in Orenburg Oblast and an important facility in Russia's fuel and energy sector. [2] The refinery has a processing capacity of around 6 million tonnes of oil per year. [2] It produces petrol, diesel and aviation fuel, fuel oil, bitumen and other petroleum products. [2]
Impact on Ukrainian Energy Infrastructure
New blackouts have been recorded in five oblasts of Ukraine as of this morning following a large-scale Russian strike. [5] The affected oblasts are Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv. [5] Emergency repair work is continuing everywhere security conditions permit. [5] Energy workers are doing everything possible to bring power back to all consumers as quickly as possible. [5] Electricity consumption has risen. [5] By 09:30 on 27 July, consumption was 8.7% higher than the previous working day, due to rising temperatures. [5] Energy workers are asking consumers to reduce electricity use between 19:00 and 22:00, with consumption preferably shifted to 10:00-16:00. [5]
Broader Context of Escalation
Kyiv has also boosted its own long-range drone strikes against Russia, hitting oil infrastructure and e-commerce warehouses in counterattacks it says are justified and designed to crimp Moscow’s logistics and revenue sources. [1] The latest spiral of escalation has brought the civilian death toll in Ukraine to the highest since the war’s first months in 2022, according to the United Nations. [1] Earlier in the war, Pyongyang dispatched thousands of troops to help Russia fight back a Ukrainian counterattack into its western Kursk region. [1] Intelligence from the West, Kyiv and Seoul, has long accused North Korea of supplying weapons to Russia. [1]
What to watch next: Zelensky continues to appeal for more Western air-defence supplies while Russia and North Korea maintain their mutual defence pact signed in 2024, and Ukraine sustains long-range drone operations against Russian oil infrastructure.
