Moscow [Russia]: Russia on Thursday denied Ukraine’s claim that its military was responsible for a missile strike on the warehouse of Indian pharmaceutical company Kusum Healthcare in Kyiv, stating it was likely caused by a misfired Ukrainian air defence missile.
The Russian Embassy in India responded to allegations made earlier by the Ukrainian Embassy, which claimed that a Russian missile deliberately struck the facility operated by Kusum Healthcare.
“A Russian missile struck the warehouse of Indian pharmaceutical company Kusum in Ukraine. While claiming ‘special friendship’ with India, Moscow deliberately targets Indian business—destroying medicine meant for children and elderly,”
the Ukrainian Embassy posted on X (formerly Twitter).
In response, the Russian Embassy categorically rejected the charge:
“The Russian Armed Forces did not attack or plan to attack on April 12, Kusum Healthcare’s pharmacy warehouse in the eastern part of Kiev. On that day, Russian tactical aviation, strike unmanned aerial vehicles and missile forces hit an aviation plant of the Ukrainian military industrial complex, the infrastructure of a military airfield and armoured vehicle repair and UAV assembly workshops at a completely different location.”
Russia claimed that the warehouse might have been struck by Ukrainian forces themselves:
“The most likely explanation of the incident is that one of the Ukrainian air defence missiles fell on Kusum Healthcare’s warehouse, setting it on fire. Similar cases have occurred previously, whereby Ukrainian air defence interceptors failing to hit their targets fell in urban areas due to ineptly operated electronic warfare systems.”
The Russian Embassy further insisted:
“Russian forces have never targeted civilian facilities,”
adding, “It should also be noted that it has become customary for the Ukrainian military to deploy air defence systems, rocket launchers, artillery pieces and other military equipment in urban areas using civilians as a human shield.”
The incident has sparked renewed tensions, especially as Indian business interests are caught in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, now stretching into its third year.