Zelenskyy says Russia hit Ukrainian energy facility with North Korean KN-23 missiles

Zelenskyy claims preliminary data indicates Russia used North Korean ballistic missile to strike Ukraine (Photo: ANI/Reuters).

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday claimed the Russians were using KN-23 ballistic missiles, manufactured and supplied by North Korea, to attack Ukraine.“According to preliminary findings, at one of the key energy facilities that was damaged, the Russians used KN-23 missiles manufactured and supplied by North Korea,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.He claimed that this was further proof that global sanctions regimes needed to be significantly strengthened against everyone in the world who provided their “services” in destroying lives.Zelenskyy also pointed out that the dearth of Patriot missile interceptors has led to more loss of life, as the defence forces are unable to take down incoming ballistic missiles“Russia used 36 missiles approaching their targets along a ballistic trajectory. Only four missiles were taken down,” he said.Ukraine has been facing significant shortages of US-made Patriot air defence systems and PAC-3 interceptors, which can be used to intercept Russian ballistic missiles. Intensified Russian attacks over the past few months is increasingly pushing Kyiv towards a harsh winter.In last October, The US state department approved a possible sale of 500 Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptors to Ukraine, in a deal estimated to be worth $2.1 billion and funded entirely by Kyiv’s partners and allies.However, the delivery could reportedly take several years.While welcoming the authorisation, Zelenskyy had said that Ukraine needed the interceptors during the winter of 2026-2027 rather than several years later. Kyiv had asked its American partners for a winter support package involving 100 Patriot interceptors a month.Zelensky said Russia has a very particular view of diplomacy, treating it as a subtype of aggression. By intensifying its attacks on Ukraine and its infrastructure at this very moment, he said, Russia is trying to additionally lay the groundwork for putting pressure on the position of Ukraine and its partners.Military cooperation between North Korea and Russia has deepened since the two countries signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty in June 2024.According to South Korea’s Defence Intelligence Agency, North Korea has sent more than 16,000 personnel to Russia since October 2024 and supplied more than 15 million artillery rounds, Chatham House said in a report in September.It added that North Korea acknowledged for the first time in April 2025 that it had sent troops to Russia, saying they had fought alongside Russian forces in Kursk. Pyongyang subsequently dispatched approximately 1,000 military engineers for mine-clearance operations.