A Russian ballistic missile struck a site in Ukraine’s Kyiv region on Friday where a defence industry event was being held, killing at least 10 people and injuring close to 100 others, Ukrainian officials and industry representatives said.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiyy said a rescue operation was underway after the strike, but did not identify the exact target. In a Telegram message Zelenskiyy said authorities were still working to determine the full circumstances of the attack.
Acting Kyiv regional governor Ruslan Oliynyk said preliminary information indicated that a ballistic missile had hit a private training ground where events were taking place.
The Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry said representatives of Ukraine’s defence industry were present at the site when it was struck. The council said it was not the organiser of the event and added that details about the exact whereabouts of participants had not been made public.
The strike puts renewed focus on the security of Ukraine’s defence sector at a time when Kyiv is trying to expand domestic weapons production, especially drones and air-defence-related systems, as Russia continues to target Ukrainian military and industrial infrastructure.
