North Korean missile likely used in Russian strike that killed five family members

A Russian overnight assault that tragically claimed the lives of a family near the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih is believed to have involved a North Korean missile, according to two sources. This marks the first suspected use of such a weapon in the conflict for almost a year.While Russia has previously deployed North Korean missiles against Ukrainian targets, their re-emergence after a significant hiatus suggests Moscow has replenished its arsenal. This fresh stock of weapons could enable Russia to escalate its missile campaign against its neighbour, one source indicated.The military source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information, said August 8, 2025 was the last time that Ukraine confirmed a Russian strike using a North Korean missile. Russia began firing North Korean KN-23 and KN-24 short-range ballistic missiles at Ukraine towards the end of 2023.North Korea has been a close ally of Russia for much of the conflict in Ukraine, providing thousands of troops and millions of artillery shells for the war effort in addition to the missiles. The Ukrainian air force did ‌not immediately ​respond to a written response ‌for comment.The site of houses hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the village of Radushne near the city of Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region. (Reuters)Russia pounded Ukraine with dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones overnight, killing eight people, ‌President Volodymyr Zelensky said, decrying shortages ‌of air defence supplies and urging allies to help.In the Dnipropetrovsk region, the Russian attack killed six people and wounded 10, said Oleksandr Hanzha, head of the regional military administration, in a post on Telegram. Children were among the dead — a 6-year-old girl and boys aged 11 and 17 in the area of Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy's hometown, Hanzha added.The children’s parents were killed in the same attack, but two more children were pulled alive from the rubble, Zelenskyy said.“It was an ordinary home, blown (to) smithereens by a ballistic missile,” he said on X.Emergency personnel at work following Russian missile strikes in Ukraine on Thursday. (Reuters)In Kyiv, Russian forces struck the capital with ballistic missiles, killing a 31-year-old man and wounding two others, the National Police press service said.More than 56,000 people sheltered in Kyiv’s subway stations overnight, according to the Facebook post from the capital's metro.A cruise missile attack struck the western city of Lviv, killing one person and wounding over 30, including children aged 6, 13 and 15, said Maksym Kozytskyi, head of the Lviv regional military administration.In the Poltava region, a drone hit company warehouses, killing one person, regional military head Vitalii Diakivnych said.Russian forces also dropped three powerful glide bombs on an industrial zone in the southern city of Kherson, killing a 56-year-old man, local officials said.