Ukraine war latest: Russian plans for mobilization 'confirmed by internal documents,' Zelensky says

Key developments on Aug. 11:

• Russian mobilization 'confirmed by internal documents,' Zelensky says
• North Korean missiles hit Zaporizhzhia in latest Russian ballistic salvo
• Russian oil refinery over 6,000 kilometers from Ukraine reportedly on fire, as Wildberries struck again
• Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet crashes during combat mission in Odesa, pilot safe

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Aug. 11 said Ukraine has seen evidence that Moscow plans a full mobilization after Russia's parliamentary elections next month.

"Putin's plan is not particularly complicated… after the so-called elections, he plans an additional rapid mobilization of several hundred thousand Russians by the end of the year, plus the same number for the year after," he said in a post on social media.

Zelensky said the plans were "confirmed by internal Russian documents" that he had discussed in a meeting with intelligence chiefs.

"We are preparing… to make it as difficult as possible for Russia to implement such plans. I have assigned the appropriate tasks to our intelligence and special services of Ukraine," Zelensky added.

Russia's parliamentary elections are set for Sept. 18–20, with Russian President Vladimir Putin's United Russia all but assured of winning in the face of no credible opposition.

Ukrainian officials have warned throughout the summer of a new wave of Russian mobilization, as the Kremlin continues to come up short of its recruitment goals while casualty rates continue to climb.

Russia has announced only one "partial mobilization" during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine — in September 2022. The move sparked protests across the country and prompted thousands of Russians to flee abroad.

Announcing a full mobilization would be a politically risky move for Putin.

To sustain its war effort, Moscow has relied on contract soldiers, foreign mercenaries, and North Korean troops. There have also been confirmed cases of Russian conscripts taking part in the war in Ukraine, despite repeated claims by Russian officials that conscripts are not being deployed to the front.

With Russia's economy strained by the war and public fatigue steadily growing, the political consequences of a second mobilization could be significantly more difficult for the Kremlin to manage.

"If Russia does trigger military mobilization, it is a sign that the regime is under tremendous strain and is politically trapped," said Max Bergmann, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

A mobilization is a "huge gamble for Putin, a bet that could put himself and his regime at risk," Bergmann told the Kyiv Independent earlier this year.

North Korean missiles hit Zaporizhzhia in latest Russian ballistic salvo

Russian forces struck Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv on Aug. 11 in an overnight barrage that included North Korean ballistic missiles and Zircon cruise missiles, Ukrainian authorities reported.

Seven workers of the Zaporizhstal steel plant were killed and a total of 24 injured in Zaporizhzhia.

One more civilian was injured in missile strikes on Kyiv.

Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground initially reported loud explosions in the capital and the southern city of Zaporizhzhia at around 12:30 a.m. on Aug. 11, as Russia launched simultaneous attacks on both cities.

At around the same time, Ukraine's Air Force warned that Russian ballistic missiles were targeting Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv.

In its morning update, the Air Force reported that Russia had used Iskander ballistic missiles, KN-23 ballistic missiles of North Korean origin, as well as Zircon cruise missiles. The exact number of each type of missile was not reported, and none were reported to have been shot down.

"We heard around 10 explosions, I believe they were ballistic missiles," a Kyiv Independent reporter in Zaporizhzhia said at the time of the attack. "We just had one bad blast that shook the whole building like an earthquake."

Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Ivan Fedorov confirmed that Russian forces targeted the regional center with ballistic missiles and guided aerial bombs. The attack damaged homes and other buildings and caused fires and power outages, he said.

Later in the day, Ukrainian steel giant Metinvest announced that seven workers of the Zaporizhstal steel plant were killed in the attack.

The plant, one of the largest steel plants not destroyed by Russia's war, has completely stopped production while assessment of the damage is carried out, Metinvest said.

A total of 52 civilians were wounded in Russian attacks across Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Fedorov said.

Later, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that both Zircons and North Korean ballistic missiles were used on Zaporizhzhia.

Russian oil refinery over 6,000 kilometers from Ukraine reportedly on fire, as Wildberries struck again

A fire broke out at an oil refinery over 6,000 kilometers (4,000 miles) from Ukraine in Russia's Far East, while a Wildberries logistics hub in Voronezh Oblast was targeted overnight on Aug. 11, monitoring channels reported.

Ukraine's military later confirmed strikes on another oil refinery in Orenburg Oblast, at the southern end of Russia's Ural Mountains, as well as on the facility in Voronezh Oblast.

In the distant city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur in Russia's far eastern Khabarovsk Krai, a fire broke out at an oil refinery, according to Telegram channel Exilenova Plus.

It remains unclear what caused the fire. Khabarovsk Krai is well outside the reach of any known Ukrainian missiles or drones.

Meanwhile, in Voronezh Oblast, a Wildberries logistics hub in the Russian village of Novaya Usman was engulfed in flames following a series of explosions at the site amid Ukrainian strikes, Telegram channel Supernova Plus reported.

The attack was later confirmed by Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces.

A 49-year-old man was killed and two others were injured in the Ukrainian drone attack on Voronezh Oblast, Governor Aleksandr Gusev said.

Gusev claimed that all 15 drones had been shot down and that the casualties were caused by falling drone debris.

Another fire was reported at a power plant in the city of Angarsk in Russia's Irkutsk Oblast, about 4,300 kilometers (3,000 miles) from Ukraine, Exilenova Plus reported.

In the Russian city of Orsk, located approximately 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) from Ukraine in Orenburg Oblast, an oil refinery and mechanical plant were struck by Ukrainian forces, the General Staff said.

The General Staff said the target was the Orsknefteorgsintez refinery, which has an annual crude-processing capacity of around 6 million tonnes, adding that an assessment of the damage was still underway.

Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet crashes during combat mission in Odesa, pilot safe

A Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet caught fire during a combat mission in Odesa Oblast the evening of Aug. 10, the Air Force reported.

The pilot attempted to save the aircraft, but the jet could not be salvaged, the Air Force said. The pilot managed to safely eject from the plane before the crash and was transported to a medical facility.

The jet caught fire due to a "non-standard situation" during the launch of an air-to-air missile while engaging enemy targets in Odesa Oblast, the military reported. The fire caused the pilot to lose control of the aircraft.

The cause of the incident is currently under investigation, the Air Force said. The following day, Ukraine's State Investigation Bureau (DBR) announced that a criminal case had been opened, and that the jet's flight recorder was still being searched for to establish the cause of the crash.

The crash comes about two weeks after a Ukrainian F-16 crashed on July 29 after an in-flight emergency during a combat mission. In that case, the pilot was also able to eject safely from the aircraft.

The MiG-29 is a Soviet-designed twin-engine multirole fighter developed in the 1970s and introduced into service in the early 1980s. Ukraine continues to operate the aircraft in upgraded configurations for air defense and strike missions as part of its combat aviation fleet.