After a Russian missile strike on the Kyiv region, which killed 10 people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that arms exhibitions should not be held during war.
He said this in an evening video address.
According to the president, on the morning of July 24, the target of Russian ballistic missiles in the Buchansky district was an event “that definitely shouldn’t have been there”. He spoke with Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko and law enforcement officers and added that there are already criminal proceedings regarding this incident.
"Of course, the reason for the strike is Russian missiles, exclusively Russian terror, but everyone has been told a thousand times that in such conditions of war, with such an enemy, it is definitely not possible to hold any weapons exhibitions — with a bunch of people and especially next to houses," Zelensky emphasized.
According to the National Police, 10 people were killed and 70 others were injured in todayʼs shelling in the Kyiv region. 23 private homes, two hotels, a restaurant, and 34 cars were damaged.
Zelensky also warned that Russia has prepared missiles for a new massive strike on Ukraine, which could occur within 48 hours.
What is known about the attack on the weapons exhibition in the Kyiv region?
At around 11:30 AM on July 24, the Russians attacked the Kyiv region with three “Iskander-M” and S-400 ballistic missiles. Air defense intercepted one of them, and two more missiles hit the Buchansky district.
The Ukrainian Council of Gunsmiths said that the Russians attacked a location in the Kyiv region where representatives of the Ukrainian defense industry had gathered. According to Valeriy Borovik, founder of the defense products company “First Contact”, the strike fell on a training ground where a weapons exhibition was being held.
At the same time, the head of the communications department of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yuriy Ihnat stated that the Russian missiles did not hit a military training ground in the Kyiv region, but a private sports complex that “has no relation to the military”. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine also confirmed that the attacked facility is not under the control of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
The Prosecutor Generalʼs Office stated that the investigation will establish who made the decision to hold the event, agreed on the location, time, and format, what security measures were provided, and whether the risks were properly assessed under martial law.
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