Ten killed in Russian attack on drone exhibition near Kyiv

What the report says

BBC World News reported that Russian ballistic missiles struck a drone technology exhibition outside Kyiv in a daytime attack, killing 10 people and injuring about 100, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The event was attended by figures from Ukraine’s defence industry. The BBC said the wider day of attacks left at least 15 people dead, including five killed by Russian glide bombs in Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuri Ihnat told Ukrainian television that three ballistic missiles were used and that one was intercepted. Russia’s Defence Ministry confirmed it had targeted the site, saying it used long-range precision weapons against a location where drones intended for strikes inside Russia were being displayed. Moscow said drone manufacturers and Ukrainian security and drone force representatives were present.

The strike has prompted scrutiny inside Ukraine over why such an event was held and publicized during wartime. The BBC reported that two well-known defence technology figures, Serhiy Beskrestnov, known as Flash, and Lyuba Shypovych, later said they were safe. Zelensky said the incident was under investigation, while Ukraine’s prosecutor-general was looking into who approved the event and what safety precautions were taken. The BBC noted this was at least the third such exhibition hit since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

The Kyiv-area attack came after Ukrainian strikes on targets in Russia, including Kirov, more than 1,000km from the front line, where Russian officials said six people were killed and 26 wounded. The BBC also reported Ukrainian attacks on Wildberries warehouses, as Kyiv says it is targeting logistics networks it believes can support Russia’s military supply chain.