Seven workers lost their lives at a steel plant in Ukraine on Tuesday during a Russian assault on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned that Moscow utilized North Korean ballistic missiles in the attack. The Zaporizhstal plant ceased operations after being struck by Zircon hypersonic missiles, guided aerial bombs, and ballistic missiles supplied by Pyongyang.
According to the parent company Metinvest Group, the ballistic missile strike hit as employees were heading to a shelter following an air-raid alert. The company confirmed the death toll at seven, with 24 individuals sustaining injuries. The attack led to a complete stoppage of production at the plant, with other affected sites running at reduced capacity.
Russian forces targeted a metallurgical plant in Zaporizhzhia that produces flat-rolled steel, which, according to Russia’s Defence Ministry, was utilized by the Ukrainian military. Additionally, the ministry reported striking the Nova Poshta sorting complex in Kyiv, describing it as a facility distributing dual-use goods, including components for drones and electronic warfare equipment.
Overnight, six individuals were killed in the Ukrainian regions of Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk, with a Russian attack in Kyiv causing fires in the capital. These incidents followed a Ukrainian drone strike in Nizhnekamsk, Russia, resulting in casualties. Another drone attack in Russia’s Voronezh region caused one fatality, two injuries, and warehouse fires.
In recent years, Russia has launched numerous North Korean ballistic missiles at Ukraine, escalating their military cooperation. President Zelenskyy revealed plans for North Korean troops to be deployed on Russian territory to aid Moscow. The strategic partnership treaty between Russia and North Korea includes mutual assistance provisions in case of external threats. North Korea previously dispatched soldiers to Russia in response to Ukrainian actions in the Kursk Region.
Furthermore, North Korea has provided Russia with various weapons, including artillery, mortar rounds, ballistic missiles, and long-range artillery systems. Russia has employed modified Iran-designed Shahed drones, known as Geran, in its operations in Ukraine. Conversely, Ukraine has utilized a variety of missiles from allies such as the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and France.