Russian embassy denies airstrike on Indian pharma warehouse in Kyiv, blames Ukraine for attack

Moscow, April 18 (IANS) The Russian Embassy in India has dismissed the claims made by Ukraine that it attacked Indian pharmaceutical company Kusum, calling the news fake.

It instead accused the war-torn nation (Ukraine) of attacking the warehouse, saying "one of Ukrainian air defence missiles fell on Kusum Healthcare's warehouse setting it on fire".

"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 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," the Embassy said.

"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," it added.

Last week, Ukrainian Embassy had criticised Vladimir Putin-led Russian government, claiming that it made a "deliberate" attack while the country claimed a "special friendship" with India.

"Today, a Russian missile struck the warehouse of Indian pharmaceutical company Kusum in Ukraine. While claiming "special friendship" with India, Moscow deliberately targets Indian businesses — destroying medicines meant for children and the elderly," it had said.

Meanwhile, Russian forces launched an assault on the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring nine others, as daily attacks across the war-torn nation continues.

Russia and Ukraine's Foreign Ministers last week traded fresh accusations over violations of a fragile, US-brokered deal intended to pause attacks on energy infrastructure -- underscoring the ongoing challenges in efforts to end the three-year war.

Although both sides had tentatively agreed last month to a 30-day ceasefire during talks mediated by US officials in Saudi Arabia, confusion quickly followed.

Disagreements emerged over the ceasefire’s start date, and each side swiftly accused the other of breaching the agreement, casting doubt on the viability of the truce.

--IANS

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