North Korea is flooding Russia with ballistic missiles
North Korea is expanding its military support for Russia, with up to 120 KN-23/KN-24 ballistic missiles and six launchers reportedly being deployed near Voronezh for potential use against Ukraine, according to Reuters.
A North Korean unit of about 90 personnel is reportedly being deployed in the region to operate the missile systems. At least 40 missiles have already been transferred to Russia, and some have reportedly been used against Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Aug. 11 that North Korean ballistic missiles were used in a Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia.
Pyongyang is also reportedly preparing to send another 30,000–50,000 troops to Russia. North Korea supplies Moscow with an estimated 5,000–7,000 containers of ammunition each month, totaling as many as 12–15 million artillery shells, according to Ukrainian estimates. Russia has also received around 220 North Korean artillery systems.
Ukrainian officials estimate that North Korea is now supplying roughly half of Russia's artillery ammunition needs on the front. In return, Pyongyang is gaining battlefield experience, testing its weapons under combat conditions and expanding military cooperation with Moscow.
Two-thirds of Poles support deportation of unemployed Ukrainian men
A proposal by Poland's opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party to deport Ukrainian men of conscription age who are not legally employed has won broad public support, according to an IBRiS poll for Rzeczpospolita.
The survey found that 67.2% of respondents support deporting Ukrainian men without legal employment, while 23.4% oppose the measure. Support was higher among older respondents, reaching 80% among those in their 50s, compared with 43% among people aged 18–29.
PiS's new migration policy calls for Ukrainian men aged 25–60 to be deported if they do not have legal employment in Poland. The proposal has drawn criticism from the government, with Interior Ministry spokesperson Karolina Gałecka calling it populist and saying that 95% of Ukrainian men in Poland are legally employed. The poll surveyed more than 1,000 people on Aug. 7–8, shortly after PiS announced the proposal.
Russia's Banderol munition is a new challenge for Ukraine's air defenses
Russia has significantly expanded the use of its relatively new S8000 “Banderol” loitering munition in recent months, particularly against southern Ukraine. The weapon is a hybrid that combines features of a cruise missile and a jet-powered drone. It can reach speeds over 500 km/h (310 mph), has a range of up to 500 km, and carries a 150 kg fragmentation warhead with up to 50 kg of explosives. Unlike slower propeller-driven drones such as the Shahed, the Banderol produces a jet-engine sound that closely resembles that of a cruise missile, making it more psychologically intimidating and harder for air defenses to distinguish in real time.
The Banderol is much cheaper to produce than traditional Russian cruise missiles (estimated at $50,000–$150,000 versus around $800,000 for a Kh-101-class missile) while still requiring the same high-end air defense systems — including MANPADS and fighter jets — to intercept. It typically flies at altitudes of 400–2,000 meters and can perform sharp maneuvers, including U-turns within a 2.5 km radius. Guidance relies on satellite navigation with a backup autonomous system. Most launches are believed to come from Orion reconnaissance drones operating from Russian territory. Production has reached approximately 80 units per month, with plans to increase further. Ukrainian forces report growing numbers of daily launches (up to 11 in some cases), adding steady pressure on air defenses already strained by mass Shahed attacks.
Russian attacks kill 8, injure 57 across Ukraine over past day
According to authorities, as of August 12, Russian attacks killed eight people and injured 57 others across Ukraine over the past day.
In Odesa Oblast, a Russian strike on Aug. 11 hit a truck carrying oil, causing the flames to spread to a nearby passenger car. Two people were killed and three injured, Governor Oleh Kiper said. Russia also launched an overnight attack using an Iskander-M ballistic missile, an Kh-31P anti-radiation missile, Kh-35 guided missiles and 138 Shahed-type drones. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 112 drones, while strikes were recorded at 16 locations.
In Kherson Oblast, Russian attacks killed two people and injured 14. Sumy Oblast reported two deaths and four injuries, while Donetsk Oblast recorded one death and 14 injuries. Zaporizhzhia Oblast reported one death and nine injuries, Kharkiv Oblast eight injuries, Chernihiv Oblast two injuries, and Dnipropetrovsk Oblast two injuries. A 65-year-old man was also hospitalized after being injured in Kyiv Oblast.