At least eleven people, including five children, have been killed in a Russian missile attack in and around the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, according to the regional governor.

Eight people were also injured when Russian missiles hit the area, Vadym Filashkin, the governor of the Ukrainian-controlled part of the Donetsk region, said on Saturday.

“The biggest blow was inflicted on Pokrovsk and Rivne in the municipality of Myrnograd,” he wrote on the messaging app Telegram.

He said S-300 missiles were used in a series of attacks, one of which hit the home of a family of six.

Filashkin released photos showing rescue workers working through the rubble after the bombardment. He said the attack showed that Russian forces were “trying to inflict as much suffering as possible on our country.”

In his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and again accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilian objects.

“And Russia must have the feeling every time that none of these attacks will end without consequences for the terrorist state,” Zelensky said.

The city of Pokrovskabout 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the front line of fighting, had already been hit by a deadly bombardment last August that left at least eight people dead and 82 injured.

Attack in Crimea

Earlier on Saturday, the Ukrainian military claimed it had successfully attacked the Saki military air base in the west of the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula.

“Saki Airfield! All targets were hit!” Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk wrote on Telegram.

Russian officials did not comment on the alleged attack, but the Russian Defense Ministry said in the early hours of Saturday that it had successfully shot down four Ukrainian missiles over the peninsula overnight.

Later on Saturday, the ministry reported that its air defense forces fired six anti-ship missiles over the Black Sea.

Since Moscow’s major offensive began in February 2022, Ukraine has set its sights on Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.

North Korean missiles?

As Russia’s nearly two-year war in Ukraine continues, Kharkiv region prosecutors on Saturday presented evidence that Russia attacked Ukraine with missiles supplied by North Korea and put the fragments on display.

Russia attacked Kharkiv with multiple missiles this week, killing two people and wounding more than 60 in one of the largest missile and drone attacks since the war began.

“The production method is not very modern. There are deviations from standard Iskander missiles that we have previously seen in attacks on Kharkiv. “This missile is similar to one of the North Korean missiles,” prosecutor spokesman Dmytro Chubenko told media as he showed the remains.

He said the rocket was slightly larger in diameter than Russia’s Iskander rocket, while its nozzle, internal electrical windings and rear parts were also different.

On Friday, the The US said Russia deploys ballistic missiles from North Korea and is looking for short-range ballistic missiles from Iran.

In one Post on X On Friday, British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps warned: “The world has turned its back on Russia and forced Putin into the humiliation of going cap in hand to North Korea to continue his illegal invasion.” In doing so, Russia has broken several UN resolutions and endangering the security of another region of the world.”

UN Security Council resolutions – adopted with Russian support – ban countries from trading arms or other military equipment with North Korea.

While the Kremlin has yet to comment on the latest evidence, relations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have warmed in recent months, with the two leaders also meeting in person last September met Russia.