Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today that according to preliminary information, Russia used a North Korean missile in the attack on a Ukrainian village that killed six people, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
"In Radushne, the Russians used a missile from North Korea for the first time in a long time – "This is what preliminary information shows," Zelensky said in his evening video address.
"The alliance between the Moscow scoundrels and the crazy regime in North Korea (e) for missiles, for the North Korean contingent here in Europe, on our border, and for the murders of our Ukrainian children," he added.
Russia has previously attacked Ukrainian targets with North Korean missiles, but their re-use after a long hiatus suggests that Moscow has received new supplies of these weapons at a time when it is stepping up its missile attacks on Ukraine, a military official told Reuters.
Moscow's forces attacked Ukraine overnight with dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones, killing eight people, Zelensky said earlier, complaining about a lack of air defense ammunition and calling on allies to provide assistance.
According to military sources in Reuters last confirmed a Russian strike with a North Korean missile on August 8, 2025.
Russia began firing North Korean short-range ballistic missiles, the KN-23 and KN-24, at Ukraine in late 2023.
North Korea has been a close ally of Russia throughout much of the conflict in Ukraine. In addition to the missiles, it has provided Russia with thousands of troops and millions of artillery shells.
The Ukrainian Air Force did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Reuters noted.