Russian and Ukrainian forces have exchanged major long-range strikes, leaving more than 20 people dead in the latest escalation of the war.
Ukrainian authorities said at least 15 people were killed in Russian attacks across the country, including 10 victims in a ballistic missile strike on a defense technology exhibition near Kyiv where drone technologies were being showcased.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said around 100 people were injured in the daytime attack, which targeted an event attended by prominent figures from Ukraine’s defense sector.
In the eastern city of Sloviansk, five additional people were killed in Russian strikes involving guided aerial bombs, according to Ukrainian officials.
Meanwhile, Ukraine launched overnight attacks deep inside Russian territory, striking the city of Kirov, more than 1,000 kilometers from the front line. Russian authorities reported that six people were killed and 26 others wounded in the attack.
Ukraine also targeted warehouses belonging to Wildberries, one of Russia’s largest online retail companies.
Following the strike near Kyiv, concerns emerged over the safety of Serhiy Beskrestnov, a Ukrainian Defense Ministry adviser known by the call sign “Flash,” and Lyuba Shypovych, who is involved in developing military technologies for Ukraine. Both later confirmed that they were unharmed.
Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yuri Ihnat said Russia launched three ballistic missiles at the exhibition, with Ukrainian air defenses intercepting one of them.
Russia confirmed carrying out the strike, stating that it had used long-range precision weapons against what it described as a site where drones intended for attacks on civilian targets inside Russia were being presented.
According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, the event was attended by drone manufacturers, representatives of Ukraine’s drone forces and security services allegedly involved in planning attacks against Russian territory.
The attack marked at least the third strike since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 targeting a defense-related exhibition in Ukraine.
The incident has also prompted domestic scrutiny in Ukraine, with questions raised over why such a high-profile public event had been widely advertised despite the security risks.
President Zelensky said the circumstances surrounding the attack are under investigation. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office also announced an inquiry to determine who authorized the event and whether appropriate security measures had been implemented.
The strike near Kyiv came only hours after Ukrainian attacks on a military-linked industrial facility in Kirov. Zelensky described the target as “one of the most important military facilities,” claiming it supplied components for aircraft and missile systems used in Russian attacks against Ukraine.
