Russian strikes kill at least 12 across Ukraine

Russian missile and drone strikes across Ukraine killed at least 12 people and injured dozens overnight, with the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia suffering the heaviest casualties, Ukrainian officials said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia used North Korean ballistic missiles in the attacks, along with Zircon missiles and guided bombs. The claim could not be independently verified, reports Al Jazeera. 

Zelenskyy said six people were killed and 19 injured in Zaporizhzhia. Other Ukrainian officials reported additional deaths in the Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions, bringing the nationwide death toll to at least 12. 

A Russian strike also damaged buildings and vehicles in Zaporizhzhia. Ukrainian officials said workers at an industrial facility were among those killed and injured.

Zelenskyy has repeatedly accused Moscow of receiving increasing military support from North Korea, including missiles and troops. He said Russia was seeking to exploit shortages of air-defence interceptors in Ukraine.

Kyiv and several other regions also came under attack. Ukrainian officials said a hospital in Kyiv was damaged, while strikes disrupted electricity supplies in Kherson and Kharkiv.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces targeted defence-industry facilities as well as transport and supply infrastructure in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia.

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Voronezh region killed one person and injured two others, according to regional Governor Alexander Gusev. He said Russian air defences shot down 15 drones over Voronezh city and five surrounding districts.

SKS