Kyiv: A drone strike by Russia caused severe damage to an Indian-owned pharmaceutical facility in Ukraine’s Sumy region on Sunday.
While one person has died in the attack, several others have been injured.
The main building of the plant was largely destroyed in the strike. The number of casualties could change as assessments continue, officials said.
The facility belonged to the Kusum Group, an Indian-origin pharmaceutical company that has operated in Ukraine for years, NDTV reported.
Footage from the site showed thick smoke rising from the area following the drone strikes. The damage to the plant is estimated to be at least Rs 400 crore. Despite the Russia-Ukraine war, the Sumy facility had continued its operations.
The Embassy of Ukraine in India reacted to a video of the attack and condemned it, saying the facility was a pharmaceutical factory producing essential medicines and was owned by Indian nationals. The strike showed that Russia was not distinguishing between military and civilian targets, the embassy said.
It also expressed condolences to the family of the person killed and sympathy to the Indian owners over the destruction of the factory. The embassy also called for tougher sanctions and international isolation of Russia.
“The aggressor does not care that this is not a military target. It does not care that this is a pharmaceutical factory producing critically needed medicines. The barbarians do not care that the factory belongs to Indian owners. The hypocrites continue talking about the “historic friendship” between India and Muscovy. In reality, death and destruction are the true face of Russian fascism, hidden behind the mask,” the Embassy wrote on X.
The attack was also condemned by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He also expressed condolences to the family of the person killed.
Russian drones also targeted infrastructure in Kyiv and a communications facility in Dnipro, where six people were injured, Zelenskyy said. According to him, the attacks are part of a wider Russian campaign targeting infrastructure and other facilities across Ukrainian cities.
Ukraine will respond by increasing attacks on Russian oil refineries, Zelenskyy said. At the same time, he said Ukraine would not target civilians. He also claimed Ukrainian intelligence had obtained documents indicating that Russia had adopted a broader approach to attacking infrastructure, logistics and other targets in cities and villages.