Russian drone strikes hit the Ukrainian port city of Odesa on Sunday, injuring at least 11 people, including two children. The attacks damaged residential buildings, vehicles, and civilian infrastructure, including a hotel and a funicular railway, according to Odesa Governor Oleh Kiper.
Kiper told Al Jazeera that local services are working to mitigate the consequences of the strikes, which hit three different districts. He added that law enforcement agencies are currently documenting what he described as the latest war crimes committed by Russia against the Odesa region's population.
Simultaneously, the conflict has expanded the visible footprint of North Korean involvement in the war. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended the opening of the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at the Overseas Military Operations in Pyongyang on Sunday, a site dedicated to North Korean soldiers killed while fighting alongside Russian forces.
According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the ceremony also marked the first anniversary of the conclusion of an operation to reclaim Russia’s Kursk border region from a Ukrainian incursion. During the event, Kim sprinkled earth over the remains of a soldier and laid flowers for others held in a mortuary.
Expanding military ties
While North Korean and Russian officials have not released official casualty figures, South Korean intelligence estimates that approximately 15,000 North Korean soldiers were deployed to the Kursk region, with about 2,000 deaths reported. Analysts suggest this troop deployment is part of a deepening alliance where Pyongyang provides manpower and weapons in exchange for Russian economic support and potential military technology.
Kim Jong Un used the ceremony to accuse the United States and its allies of pursuing a "hegemonic plot and military adventurism" on the Russia-Ukraine front. He pledged full support for Russia’s efforts to defend its sovereignty.
Russian officials present at the museum, including State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin and Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, signaled further integration. TASS news agency reported that Belousov stated Moscow is prepared to sign a military cooperation plan with Pyongyang covering the years 2027 through 2031.
In a letter read by Volodin, Russian President Vladimir Putin described the new museum as a "clear symbol of the friendship and solidarity" between the two nations.
In the Zaporizhzhia region, the violence continues on both sides of the front. Governor Ivan Fedorov reported that Russian forces launched 629 strikes across 45 settlements in a single day, causing damage to at least 50 homes and pieces of infrastructure. A 59-year-old man was killed in the region due to Russian attacks, according to Fedorov.
Conversely, Russian-installed authorities at the captured Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant claimed a Ukrainian drone attack killed a driver in the plant's transport department. The facility is currently shut down.
Diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict appear stalled despite recent communications. Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Donald Trump noted he has had "good conversations" with both Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"We’re working on the Russia situation, Russia and Ukraine, and hopefully we’re going to get it," Trump said, adding that the level of "hatred" between the two leaders is "ridiculous."
