Pharma plant in Ukraine, owned by Indian group, hit in Russian drone attacks
Kyiv, Oct 4 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) One person was killed and several others were injured after a pharma plant belonging to India’s Kusum group suffered damages in Russian drone attacks in Ukraine’s Sumy, said media reports.
The pharma plant’s main structure has been destroyed in Ukraine’s Sumy, a NDTV report said. According to the officials, the fatalities and the number of people injured in the drone attack may change.
The Russian drone attacks have continued attack for four consecutive days, damaging and destroying several structures in Ukraine including key bridges in Kyiv.
The drone and missile assault on Sunday came in the backdrop of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s surprise visit to Kyiv, for showing solidarity with the European nation and announcing 1.3-billion euros package.
The Indian pharma plant reportedly came under the fire today, even as air raid sirens continued to blare across the city since morning. Visuals from the site showed a large plume of smoke rising from the facility after the drones struck.
According to reports, the Kusum group began operations in 1994 as a distributor of Indian medicines to Ukraine and is currently headed by Indian national Rajeev Gupta. In 2002, the company stopped distributing medicines of other firms and started marketing its own brands. The company then transitioned into manufacturing and opened a plant in India in 2007 before setting up a plant in Ukraine’s Sumy in 2009.
The pharma group is the maker of more than 50 generic products and sells them in multiple nations across the globe including Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and the Philippines.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the Russian attack on Pivnichnyi Bridge in Kyiv and a pharmaceutical warehouse in Sumy. He said that one person was killed in the attack and offered condolences to the family of the deceased.
“This morning, the Russians once again struck the Pivnichnyi Bridge in Kyiv with a drone. They attacked an ordinary pharmaceutical warehouse in Sumy with drones. Tragically, one person was killed. My condolences to the family and loved ones. In Dnipro, they struck a communications facility. Six people were injured as a result of these attacks,” Zelensky posted on X.
Zelensky said that Russia launched 135 attack drones against Ukraine overnight, and the areas which were attacked were Kharkiv, Kyiv, Dnipro, Donetsk, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia. He urged the international community to hold Russia accountable for this escalation.
In a post on X, Zelensky stated, “Overnight, the Russians launched 135 attack drones against Ukraine, more than 50 of them jet-powered. Kyiv, the Dnipro, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia regions came under attack. And among the main targets of these terrorists, as always, are ordinary residential buildings, critical infrastructure – everything that makes up normal everyday life. There are power outages in some communities. Our services are working at the impact sites.”
“It is important that Ukraine is not left alone against this terror. This week alone, the Russians have used more than 1,900 attack drones, 1,700 aerial bombs, and 25 missiles against Ukraine. More than 800 of the drones were jet-powered, and Russia must be held accountable for this escalation,” he added.
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