Ukraine and Russia exchanged overnight strikes into 11 August 2026, with President Volodymyr Zelensky accusing Moscow of firing North Korean ballistic missiles at Zaporizhzhia, where at least six people were killed and 19 injured. In a separate development, Ukrainian forces struck warehouses belonging to online retailer Wildberries in Russia's Voronezh region, extending a campaign against logistics sites that support the Russian military.
Zelensky said in a Monday evening video address that, for the first time, Russia "cannot wage war without reinforcements from North Korea."
"The more North Korean strikes there are here in Ukraine, in Europe, the more their missiles and soldiers are used, the more they correct their shortcomings and blind spots," Zelensky said, adding that this poses a danger to the rest of the world.
He also described a strike on a Russian petrochemical plant in western Siberia carried out on 10 August 2026 as a "very significant achievement" for Ukraine's military, and pledged further long-range operations.
"More Ukrainian deep strikes, which should demonstrate to Russia and the Russians that peace is necessary," Zelensky said.
What evidence links North Korea to the strike?
According to , Ukrainian radar systems detected two missile tracks consistent with North Korean KN-23 or KN-24 short-range ballistic missiles during the attack, which would mark the first recorded use of North Korean ballistic missiles against Ukrainian targets since August 2025. Ukrainian officials say the missile origins remain subject to expert examination and verification, according to a statement posted by Zelensky's office on social media. Separately, Fox News reported that Russia is deploying a North Korean missile unit to Ukraine, with up to 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers alongside roughly 90 North Korean personnel expected to be stationed in the Voronezh region, according to Fox News.
This is not the first time Zelensky has raised alarm over North Korean involvement. Over the weekend, he warned that as many as 50,000 North Korean soldiers are being sent to reinforce Russian territory. has previously reported that Ukraine accuses North Korea of supplying artillery shells, rocket systems, thousands of troops and ballistic missiles to Russia since late 2023, according to . A North Korean-made KN-23 missile was also identified in a strike on a residential building in Kyiv in April 2025 that killed at least 12 people, per the same report. The Kyiv Independent has traced the first reported Russian use of North Korean ballistic missiles back to 29 December 2023, according to a Kyiv Post account.
What damage was reported in Zaporizhzhia and elsewhere?
Zaporizhzhia Regional Governor Ivan Fedorov shared photographs of burning vehicles and buildings, saying Russian forces struck the city with missiles and guided bombs, damaging industrial facilities, infrastructure and non-residential buildings. In Kyiv, air raid sirens sounded twice overnight and one person was injured; explosions on the capital's outskirts triggered fires, and a hospital sustained damage, though officials said staff and patients had already taken shelter.
Ukrainian officials reported that Russia launched 120 drones overnight along with a mix of missiles, but for the first time did not disclose how many missiles were fired or intercepted. This followed a statement from Ukraine's Air Force on Monday asking media outlets to avoid "sensationalised headlines" or "spreading pessimism" regarding shortages of air defence interceptors.
Power outages hit Kherson and Kharkiv after Russian strikes damaged electrical substations. In Sumy, two women aged 52 and 66 were injured in a drone strike and treated at the scene, according to Sergiy Kryvosheenko, head of the Sumy City Military Administration, who said in a Telegram post that the strike also damaged civilian vehicles, warehouse buildings and other infrastructure.
Why is Wildberries being targeted again?
Reports emerged of a fire and explosions at a Wildberries logistics centre in the Voronezh region, though the company has not confirmed the attack and said only that facilities in the border region had been evacuated. Wildberries, often described as Russia's answer to Amazon, has been repeatedly struck in recent weeks. In July 2026, Ukrainian drone attacks on several of the company's warehouses disrupted operations for numerous small and medium-sized Russian businesses; Kyiv said at the time it was targeting logistics hubs used to source military equipment and supply the Russian army.
How does this connect to the Tatarstan strike?
The overnight exchanges followed one of the deadliest single Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory since the war began in 2022, which killed at least 13 people, including one child, in the Russian republic of Tatarstan, more than 1,100 km (680 miles) from the Ukrainian border. Ukraine's Armed Forces said the strike hit the Tanevo oil refinery, and at least 75 people were injured. Verified social media images showed large plumes of smoke and flames rising during daylight hours, accompanied by air raid sirens. The Uzbek consulate in Tatarstan said seven of those killed were citizens of Uzbekistan.
This attack forms part of a broader pattern of Ukrainian strikes deep into Russian territory targeting refineries and military infrastructure. Ukraine previously said it hit a major Russian oil refinery and the Engels airfield in an overnight operation reported on 2 August 2026, according to our earlier coverage, while Russia reported eight deaths and said it intercepted 635 drones. Days later, Ukraine said it struck two additional Russian refineries even as attacks on its own cities killed at least six people and injured 36, as detailed in our report on strikes on Russian oil refineries published 6 August 2026.
What happens next?
Zelensky said on 10 August 2026 that Russia has received additional ballistic missiles from North Korea and is preparing to host a further contingent of North Korean personnel, according to the Kyiv Independent. has described the latest strike as the first confirmed use of North Korean missiles in nearly a year, suggesting continued scrutiny of whether Russia relies on such weapons in future attacks. Ukrainian officials have indicated that formal verification of the missile debris from the Zaporizhzhia strike is still underway.
Key Facts
- At least six people were killed and 19 injured in a Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia involving what Zelensky said were North Korean ballistic missiles.
- Ukraine struck Wildberries warehouses in Russia's Voronezh region, continuing a campaign against logistics hubs supporting the Russian military.
- Ukrainian radar detected missile signatures consistent with North Korean KN-23 or KN-24 systems, according to .
- Russia is reportedly deploying a North Korean missile unit with up to 120 ballistic missiles and around 90 personnel to Voronezh, per Fox News.
- A separate Ukrainian strike on Tatarstan's Tanevo oil refinery killed at least 13 people and injured 75, including seven Uzbek citizens.
