Zelensky claims North Korean missile used in Russian strike killed 12 in Kyiv
A rescuer with a service dog looks for residents, who could still be under rubber of a destroyed residential building, which was hit during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine April 24, 2025. PHOTO:REUTERS
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 24 that Russia used a ballistic missile manufactured in North Korea during a deadly overnight attack on Kyiv that killed 12 people and injured 90, including six children.
“According to preliminary information, the Russians used a ballistic missile manufactured in North Korea. Our special services are verifying all the details,” Zelensky said on social media.
He called the alleged use of a North Korean weapon further evidence of the “criminal alliance” between Moscow and Pyongyang.
The missile struck a residential building in Kyiv as part of a broader assault involving over 200 missiles and drones launched across multiple Ukrainian cities, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.
A Ukrainian military source told Reuters that the weapon was identified as a KN-23 ballistic missile, a North Korean system capable of carrying a one-tonne warhead.
The KN-23 is reportedly more powerful than Russia’s Iskander missile, and past investigations have found Western-made components in the system.
“If confirmed, this would show how North Korea and Russia are working together to develop and use deadly technologies against civilians,” Zelensky said, accusing both countries of intentionally targeting non-combatants.
The strike underscores growing military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Kyiv estimates that more than 11,000 North Korean troops are deployed in support of Russia’s war effort, primarily in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
According to the South Korean Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA), North Korea earned over $20 billion through military support to Russia from August 2023 to March 2025, including the shipment of nearly 16,000 containers of munitions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has acknowledged the partnership, calling North Korea a “partner” and suggesting Pyongyang could be involved in future peace talks related to the Ukraine war.