President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the latest ballistic missile that hit Ukraine”s capital city, killing at least 12 people, was manufactured in North Korea.
The attack in Kyiv on Thursday was one of the most brutal bombardments on Ukraine's major cities since 2022, occurring days after the Palm Sunday onslaught in Sumy.
Rescue operations continued till nighttime as officials of emergency services search for those still trapped under the rubble. More than 100 people were injured.
Citing preliminary information, Zelenskyy said the “Russians used a ballistic missile manufactured in North Korea,” adding that special services are verifying the details.
The Ukrainian leader called the situation “further proof of the criminal nature of the alliance between Russia and Pyongyang…They kill people and torment lives together.”
Zelenskyy said while Russia continuously uses missiles and artillery, Pyongyang now has the opportunity to make its weapons more deadly under real wartime conditions.
He said the Russian army used more than 200 means of destruction – missiles and attack drones – in Thursday's strikes, a situation no country in the world should be left alone to face.
“There must be real pressure on Russia to stop”, he wrote on X. “Even in the midst of international diplomatic efforts to end this war, Russia continues killing civilians. That means Putin is not afraid.”
The cooperation of states that value people and life “must stop the alliances of murderers,” Zelenskyy noted, reiterating his call for a full and unconditional halt to the strikes.
“This war must be ended justly,” the president demands. “And to truly guarantee the safety of our people, we need to strengthen our air shield. I thank everyone in the world who is helping.”
