Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia kills six, governor says

Kremlin spokesman refuses to comment on claims thousands of North Korean troops have arrived in Russia

A damaged supermarket in Shevchenkivskyi district after a Russian air attack on Monday in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Photograph: Denys Klymenko/Gwara Media/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
A damaged supermarket in Shevchenkivskyi district after a Russian air attack on Monday in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Photograph: Denys Klymenko/Gwara Media/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

A Russian attack on Ukraine’s southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia killed six people and injured nine more, regional governor Ivan Fedorov said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app on Tuesday.

He said earlier that the Russian forces had attacked an infrastructure facility in the city.

The Ukrainian military said on Tuesday it shot down 48 out of 79 drones and two missiles launched by Russia overnight.

The air force said the location of 30 other drones had been lost, while another had returned to Russia.

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An overnight attack using guided aerial bombs on the eastern city of Kharkiv also injured two people and damaged windows in three apartment buildings, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said via the Telegram messaging app.

A drone attack on the northeastern region of Sumy damaged a gas station, regional authorities added.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on Tuesday on reports that thousands of North Korean troops were in Russia and preparing for a deployment in the Ukrainian conflict.

“I can say nothing on this,” Peskov told a briefing.

On Tuesday South Korea’s defence ministry said more than 10,000 North Koreans troops had arrived in Russia, with a “significant number” in the frontline areas including Kursk.

Those remarks came hours after the Pentagon said that there were at least 10,000 North Korean soldiers in Kursk, near the Ukraine border, but could not corroborate reports that they were engaged in combat.

Ukraine’s intelligence agency has also said that about 12,000 North Korean troops, including 500 officers and three generals, were already in Russia, with training taking place at five military bases.

“We understand that more than 10,000 North Korean troops are currently in Russia, and a significant number of them have moved to the frontline areas including Kursk,” Jeon Ha-kyou, a spokesperson for Seoul’s defence ministry, told a briefing, citing intelligence authorities.

Elsewhere, Poland plans to invest 3 billion zlotys (€688 million) to boost ammunition production, according to a bill published late on Monday, aiming to ensure it has sufficient supplies in the event of an attack from Russia.

Since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Poland has become Nato’s biggest spender on defence in relation to the size of its economy, with the 2025 budget allocating 4.7 per cent of gross domestic product for the purpose. – Reuters