Ukraine's Zelenskyy says Russia used North Korean missile in deadly Kyiv region attack

Ukraine's recent incursion into Russian territory is viewed as a major provocation by Moscow

A fire in a residential building after a missile attack in Kursk, Russia. AFP

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday said that Russian forces were likely to have used a North Korean missile in an overnight air strike on the Kyiv region that killed a man and his four-year-old son.

“According to preliminary information, the Russians used a North Korean missile in this attack – yet another deliberate terrorist strike against Ukraine,” Mr Zelenskyy wrote on social media.

“Pyrotechnic experts are still working to determine the exact data regarding this missile.”

He acknowledged for the first time on Saturday that Ukrainian forces were fighting in an offensive in Russia's Kursk region, as attacks on the border region continued with authorities moving civilians.

Moscow's forces were in their sixth day of intense battles against Kyiv's largest incursion into Russian territory since the start of the war in 2022.

Russia imposed a sweeping security regime in three border regions on Saturday, while Belarus, an ally, sent more troops to its border with Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of breaching its airspace.

In his nightly video address, Mr Zelenskyy said he had discussed the operation with Ukrainian commander Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, vowing to restore justice after Russia invaded in February 2022.

“Today, I received several reports from Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi regarding the front lines and our actions to push the war on to the aggressor's territory,” Mr Zelenskyy said. “Ukraine is proving that it can indeed restore justice and ensure the necessary pressure on the aggressor.”

Russia's Defence Ministry said on Sunday it had destroyed 14 Ukrainian drones and four Tochka-U tactical ballistic missiles overnight over the Kursk region. It added it had destroyed 18 drones in other Russian regions that Ukraine frequently attacks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Ukrainian attack was a major provocation.

Russia's Gen Valery Gerasimov said on Wednesday the attacks had been halted, but Russia has not pushed the Ukrainian forces back over the border.

According to Russian military bloggers, the situation had stabilised after Moscow sent reinforcements, although they said Ukraine was swiftly building up forces.

Injuries and evacuations

On Sunday, Kursk officials said 13 people were injured in the city after debris from a destroyed Ukrainian missile fell on to a nine-storey residential building.

It was not clear whether there was further damage. Moscow and Kyiv rarely disclose the full extent of damage inflicted by attacks on them unless there are injuries or damage to residential buildings.

Alexei Smirnov, Kursk's acting governor, ordered local authorities to speed up the removal of civilians in areas at risk. On Saturday, Russia's Tass state news agency reported that more than 76,000 people had been evacuated.

Kyiv and Moscow deny striking civilians in their attacks in the war, which has killed thousands of people and displaced millions of Ukrainians.

Russian military bloggers say fighting is taking place about 20km inside the Kursk region, prompting some of them to question why Ukraine was able to pierce the region so easily.

On Sunday, Andriy Yermak, Mr Zelenskyy's chief of staff, threatened more attacks on Russia's military infrastructure, saying Moscow does not accept “other arguments”.

Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova said she had sent an appeal to the UN demanding it condemn Ukraine's actions in Kursk.

In a Telegram post, Ms Moskalkova said she was asking the UN Human Rights commissioner to “take measures to prevent gross mass violations of human rights”.