On April 12, 2025, the warehouse of Kusum Healthcare, an Indian-owned pharmaceutical company in Kyiv, was destroyed in an incident that has sparked sharp allegations and denials between Ukraine and Russia.

Ukraine claimed that a Russian drone or missile deliberately targeted the warehouse, resulting in losses estimated at nearly $25 million.

Ukrainian officials asserted that the attack was motivated by Kusum Group’s support for Ukraine’s emergency services, noting the company had provided humanitarian aid, including body armour and helmets, to Ukrainian rescue and volunteer groups.

Russia, however, has categorically rejected these allegations. In statements issued by the Russian embassy in India, Moscow insisted that its armed forces did not attack or plan to attack the Kusum Healthcare warehouse on that date.

Instead, Russia contended that its military operations that day targeted only Ukrainian military-industrial facilities and infrastructure at entirely different locations, such as an aviation plant and a military airfield.

According to the Russian embassy, the most plausible explanation for the destruction of the warehouse is that it was inadvertently struck by a Ukrainian air defence missile. Russia claimed that Ukrainian interceptors, possibly due to electronic warfare interference or operational errors, have previously fallen in urban areas, causing similar incidents.

The embassy further accused Ukraine of deploying air defence systems and other military equipment in civilian areas, thereby increasing the risk of such accidents.

Russia reiterated that its armed forces have never targeted civilian facilities since the beginning of what it refers to as its “special military operation” in Ukraine. The Russian side dismissed Ukraine’s narrative as an attempt to blame Moscow for collateral damage caused by Ukrainian air defence measures.

Ukraine maintains that Russia deliberately targeted the Indian-owned warehouse as retaliation for humanitarian aid to Ukrainian services, while Russia denies any involvement and attributes the destruction to a misfired Ukrainian air defence missile. No independent verification of either claim has been reported, and the incident remains a point of diplomatic contention between the two countries.

ANI