Russian strike kills 7 at Ukraine steel plant

Seven workers were killed at a Ukrainian steel plant on Tuesday during a Russian attack on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia in which President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Moscow used North Korean ballistic missiles.

The Zaporizhstal plant was forced to suspend production after being hit as Russia pummelled Zaporizhzhia with Zircon hypersonic missiles, guided aerial bombs and ballistic missiles supplied by Pyongyang.

"The ballistic missile strike hit as employees were making their way to a shelter immediately after the air-raid alert was sounded," parent company Metinvest Group said in a statement that put the death toll at seven.

The attack brought production at the plant to a complete halt, and other damaged sites were operating at reduced capacity, the company said.

Regional governor Ivan Fedorov posted photos of buildings and vehicles ablaze after the strike, which also damaged four residential buildings.

At least 24 people were injured. No damage was reported at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

Russia's defence ministry said Russian forces had struck a metallurgical plant in Zaporizhzhia that produces flat-rolled steel which it said was used by the Ukrainian military.

The ministry also said Russian forces had struck the Nova Poshta sorting complex in Kyiv, which it described as used to distribute dual-use goods, including components for drones and electronic warfare equipment.

The attacks followed a Ukrainian drone strike that Russian authorities said on Monday had killed at least 13 people and wounded 39 in Nizhnekamsk, one of the heaviest civilian tolls in Russia in months.