Russia attacks Ukraine, Zelenskyy says Moscow receiving new North Korean missiles

Russia attacked Ukrainian cities with missiles, drones, and glide bombs on Tuesday, resulting in at least 10 civilian deaths. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Moscow is receiving new military assistance from North Korea, specifically ballistic missiles, which were used in an overnight attack on Zaporizhzhia. The attack on the city's steel plant killed seven workers and injured 21. Three more people, including a teenager, died from Russian drones and artillery in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Zelenskyy also indicated that North Korea is preparing to deploy more troops to Russia. This follows a strategic partnership agreement signed in 2024 between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, which pledges mutual aid in case of aggression. Experts suggest this collaboration is enhancing North Korea's military capabilities, with Zelenskyy warning that the battlefield experience could embolden Pyongyang to threaten other regional countries.

Ukraine asserts that Russia is escalating the conflict by increasing its ballistic missile production to exploit Kyiv's shortage of Patriot air defense interceptors. The country also claims Moscow is preparing to recruit more troops for a new offensive along the 1,250-kilometer front line in eastern and southern Ukraine. "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," Zelenskyy stated on social media.

In an unusual development, Ukraine's air force did not specify the number of missiles Russia launched overnight in its daily report, leaving the reason for the omission unclear. Kyiv officials have not yet commented on this. Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts led by the U.S. to end the war have stalled, with Washington reportedly frustrated by the lack of progress and shifting its attention to the Iran war. In a move underscoring Putin's determination to continue the invasion, Russia's highest court ordered the exclusion of Yabloko, the sole political party opposing the war, from the upcoming parliamentary election.

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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.