Zelenskyy: Russia used North Korean missiles to strike Ukrainian village, killing family of five

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Russia attacked a village using North Korean missiles, resulting in the deaths of a family of five. This incident, if verified, would mark the first documented use of North Korean weaponry by Russian forces in the Ukraine conflict in approximately a year.

According to a military source cited by Reuters, Russian forces have previously targeted Ukrainian objectives with North Korean missiles. However, this deployment, occurring since August of the previous year, suggests Moscow may have acquired a new supply of weapons to intensify its missile offensives.

Ukrainian officials reported that Russia launched a large-scale overnight air assault, deploying dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones, causing at least nine fatalities. The Ukrainian military is currently facing a severe shortage of advanced air defense systems.

The military source indicated that the use of North Korean missiles aligns with Russia's increasing reliance on ballistic missiles, including its own Iskander 9M723. These types of missiles can only be intercepted by the U.S.-made Patriot air defense system.

Zelenskyy stated that one missile struck a residential building in the village of Radushne, near the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, killing five people: the parents and their three children. He added that the condition of the family's other four children and a toddler grandson remains unknown. Zelenskyy mentioned in his evening address that initial data suggests the missile that hit Radushne originated from North Korea. Reuters had previously reported, citing two sources, that the missiles used in the offensive might be North Korean-made.

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Preliminary data indicates that the missile that struck Radushne village came from North Korea.