North Korea sending 50,000 troops to Russia – Zelenskyy — Turkey calls for 'moratorium' on Black Sea attacks as drone incidents escalate

10 August 2026 | Kyiv, Ankara, Berlin — Updated 22:30 GMT

Up to 50,000 North Korean soldiers will be deployed in Russia, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said, while calling on South Korea to provide support for Ukraine's air defence. It is an increase from the estimated 30,000 announced by the Ukrainian president in July. Kyiv had found some North Korean missiles in Ukraine's territory, he said. "It is absolutely clear that North Korea will continue to build its experience in modern warfare, receive licences from Russia, and receive all kinds of military tools from them."

Turkey's foreign minister on Saturday called for a "moratorium" on attacks by Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea after a series of strikes on civilian ships there. "The conflict has spread across the whole Black Sea," Hakan Fidan said in an interview with Turkey's state news agency Anadolu. "To begin with, they targeted the ports and the military ships. Now, they are attacking all commercial shipping without distinction," he added. Ships belonging to Turkey or flying the Turkish flag were among those targeted.

Russian missiles struck a high-rise apartment block in Kharkiv, killing two people and injuring 13, while overnight strikes left four dead, including a child, in the Kyiv region. Zelenskyy warned Ukraine is facing a winter with no working thermal power plants.

Welcome to the latest world headlines — where North Korean troops, Black Sea attacks, and winter preparations collide across Ukraine and beyond.

Zelenskyy: North Korea Sending 50,000 Troops to Russia

Up to 50,000 North Korean soldiers will be deployed in Russia, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said, while calling on South Korea to provide support for Ukraine's air defence. It is an increase from the estimated 30,000 announced by the Ukrainian president in July. Kyiv had found some North Korean missiles in Ukraine's territory, he said. "It is absolutely clear that North Korea will continue to build its experience in modern warfare, receive licences from Russia, and receive all kinds of military tools from them."

This month, an official at Ukraine's military intelligence told Reuters that a North Korean missile unit has begun deploying personnel and equipment to western Russia and the unit could be equipped with 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers for strikes against Ukraine. North Korea sent an estimated 14,000 soldiers to Russia's Kursk region in 2024, helping Moscow fight an invasion by Ukrainian forces. Thousands have been wounded or killed. North Korea has supplied Russia with millions of artillery and mortar rounds – sometimes of dangerously low quality, according to Russian milbloggers and troops – as well as ballistic missiles, long-range artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems, according to Ukrainian and independent assessments.

Zelenskyy continued that Ukraine "would very much like to receive support from South Korea in an area where we have a shortage", referring to air defence systems. "We are ready to work on the drone deal and other areas as well," he said, adding that Ukrainian diplomats "are in contact" with Seoul to push potential deals. Ukraine is very short of high-end air defences and Russia has tried to exploit this by using more ballistic missiles, which are very hard to shoot down without interceptors like the US-owned Patriot.

Turkey Calls for 'Moratorium' on Black Sea Attacks as Conflict Spreads

Turkey's foreign minister on Saturday called for a "moratorium" on attacks by Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea after a series of strikes on civilian ships there. "The conflict has spread across the whole Black Sea," Hakan Fidan said in an interview with Turkey's state news agency Anadolu. "To begin with, they targeted the ports and the military ships. Now, they are attacking all commercial shipping without distinction," he added. Ships belonging to Turkey or flying the Turkish flag were among those targeted.

Seventy Atacms short-range ballistic missiles are part of a weapons package that Ukraine is poised to buy from Turkey, according to US congressional documents. The US would have to approve the resale of the American-origin weapons. The state department indicated to Congress it is prepared to give permission. Along with the M39 Atacms missiles, Turkey also plans to sell Kyiv 47,000 artillery rounds, 12 M270 multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS) and more than 2,000 cluster bombs, according to the notice from the US state department.

Russian Strikes Kill 13 in 24 Hours as Zelenskyy Warns of Winter Crisis

Russian missiles struck a high-rise apartment block in the Saltivskyi district of Kharkiv, killing two people and injuring 13, said regional head Oleh Syniehubov. Zelenskyy said eight people were wounded in Odesa, where strikes damaged the power grid, the port and residential buildings. He condemned an "absolutely brutal" strike targeting energy infrastructure near a shopping centre in Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk region, that wounded nine people including four children.

Russia said Ukrainian drones killed five people and injured two dozen others in the Belgorod region. Zelenskyy, in his evening address on Sunday, defended Ukraine's replies to Russia's attacks – including strikes on Russian oil refineries, air defence systems and radar stations – as "truly just responses". "The Russian war will be increasingly felt at home, in Russia," he said.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned Ukraine is facing a winter with no working thermal power plants as overnight Russian strikes left four dead, including a child, in the Kyiv region. Speaking Saturday in Belgrade, alongside his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vucic, the Ukrainian leader said Moscow's latest overnight attacks and shelling of frontline communities combined had killed 13 people in the last 24 hours. "Russian missiles are aimed precisely at making the lives of Ukrainians unbearable," Zelensky told reporters during his first official visit to Belgrade.

WHO Warehouse Destroyed in Dnipro as Civilian Toll Mounts

The World Health Organization chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said a WHO warehouse stocking medical supplies in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro was destroyed in strikes on Friday. "I cannot say loudly enough: attacks on health care must stop. Otherwise, people are deprived of lifesaving healthcare," Tedros posted. "Even wars have rules. One of those is that health must be protected!"

Pope Leo on Sunday said innocent people were being killed and wounded in Ukraine and Russia, and called for an end to the conflict. "Tragic incidents are multiplying, causing an ever-growing number of civilian victims, including children," the pontiff said before worshippers gathered for Sunday's Angelus prayer. "I renew my heartfelt appeal for international humanitarian law to be respected and for attacks against civilian targets to cease on both sides." More than 16,000 civilians have been killed, according to the UN, the overwhelming majority of them Ukrainian.

Drone Incidents Escalate: Bulgaria Summons Ambassador, Moldova Finds Fragments

Bulgaria summoned Ukraine's ambassador after a drone entered Bulgarian airspace, the country's public broadcaster BNT reported on Sunday. The drone exploded on Saturday close to an international gas pipeline shortly after crossing the border from Romania, the Bulgarians said. No casualties or damage were reported. Bulgaria's defence ministry said the incident was likely accidental and involved a drone that appeared to be a Ukrainian type. Kyiv's foreign ministry said Ukraine did not deliberately target Bulgaria and the two sides were in "close contact" about it.

A "powerful explosion" believed to be from a combat drone was reported in the village of Crocmaz, in south-east Moldova near the border with Ukraine, local police said on Sunday. No one was injured by the impact, which caused a vegetation fire in the Stefan Voda district, police said, adding that "fragments of a combat drone were found at the scene" and would be examined by specialists. Police did not specify the origin of the drone.

Ukraine on Saturday denied targeting Bulgaria after a drone exploded close to the strategic Trans-Balkan gas pipeline linking Turkey to Ukraine near the Romanian border. There were no casualties or damage. Bulgaria's defence ministry said the drone was of a type "widely used by the Ukrainian military", and the foreign minister summoned the Ukrainian ambassador for a meeting on Monday in response, her office told AFP. Kyiv said it was "in close contact with the Bulgarian side to clarify the circumstances" of the incident, the latest case of a drone straying into Nato airspace as Ukraine fights off Russia's invasion. "We can say with certainty that the Ukrainian Armed Forces did not intentionally direct any assets toward Bulgaria," Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesperson Georgiy Tykhyi said, blaming Russia's invasion for the incident.

Drones Detected Above German Patriot Storage Site in Mechernich

Drones have been detected above an army installation in western Germany known to house components for US-made Patriot air-defence systems, which Ukraine has frequently requested to help fight off Russia's aerial bombardments. An investigation has been opened into the sighting at the installation, which has a large underground depot, a military operational command spokesperson said on Saturday. Mechernich is a special army site for storing equipment at a depth of 130 metres (425 feet) across about 30,000 square metres, or the equivalent of four football pitches. The latest incident comes days after an explosives-laden drone was found near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig-Halle airport, which plays a key role in the transport of military goods by the German military and Nato allies.

UK Defence Secretary Urges Allies to Boost Ukraine's Air Defences Ahead of Winter

The UK defence secretary, Wes Streeting, has urged allies to boost Ukraine's air defences ahead of a winter that Vladimir Putin will seek to use as a "weapon" against Kyiv. Writing in the Sunday Times, Streeting warned that while Putin was currently losing the war, "Ukrainians know what winter brings, and how it can change the picture". Allies' efforts to assist Ukraine "must include greater resources for air defence". "My task – alongside my German counterpart Boris Pistorius, with whom I co-chair the Ukraine defence contact group – is to turn the goodwill of some 50 nations into concrete help."

Zelenskyy is in Serbia for talks on economic ties and security issues. The visit, which included talks with President Vucic on Saturday, is the first by a Ukrainian president in eight years. Vucic described Ukraine as a "friendly nation" and said he was honoured to welcome the Ukrainian leader. The two men discussed their countries' efforts to join the European Union, bilateral ties and ways to expand cooperation.

Ukrainian Drone Strikes Target Novorossiysk and Russian Oil Facilities

Ukrainian drone strikes damaged commercial sites and a home in the Russian city of Novorossiysk, said the mayor, Andrey Kravchenko. A major fuel terminal is located at Novorossiysk that links Kazakhstan's oilfields to markets around the world. It has previously been a target for Ukrainian strikes.

Russia has continued striking Ukrainian port infrastructure and vessels supporting the Ukrainian military, Russia's Defence Ministry said on Saturday. The ministry said Russian forces hit military warehouses containing communications and electronic warfare equipment in the Black Sea port of Odesa. In the port of Mykolaiv, Russian forces struck a cargo vessel carrying military equipment and a warehouse storing weapons and military supplies, the ministry said. It added that another dry cargo vessel transporting military supplies for Ukraine's armed forces was hit in the Black Sea.

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