New Delhi, April 17: Russia on Thursday denied Ukraine’s allegations that its armed forces had attacked the facility of an Indian pharmaceutical firm in Kyiv during a drone strike on April 12, asserting that Moscow has never targetted civilian facilities during its ongoing Special Military Operation in Ukraine.
“In response to the accusations spread by the Embassy of Ukraine in India the Russian Embassy in New Delhi informs that the Russian Armed Forces did not attack or plan to attack on April 12, 2025, Kusum Healthcare’s pharmacy warehouse in the eastern part of Kyiv,” read a statement issued by the Embassy of Russia in India on Thursday evening.
“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,” it added.
Oleksandr Polishchuk, the Ambassador of Ukraine to India, had reportedly stated that the warehouse of the Kusum Group was “deliberately targeted” by a Russian drone, resulting in losses of almost $25 million. Russia, however, said that the “most likely explanation” of the incident is that one of 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 stated. It outlined that during the ongoing conflict, the Russian Armed Forces have never targetted civilian facilities.
“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 statement added.
IANS