Russian drone attack hits Indian-run Kusum pharma plant in Ukraine, 1 killed

Kyiv: A pharmaceutical manufacturing facility operated by the Indian-run Kusum Group in Ukraine’s Sumy region was severely damaged in a Russian drone attack, with one person killed and several others injured, according to reports.

The main structure of the facility was reportedly largely destroyed in the strike. Videos and visuals from the site showed thick smoke rising from the area following the attack.
The damage to the facility is estimated at at least Rs 400 crore, according to an NDTV report.

Local authorities said the casualty figures could change as rescue teams and officials assess the extent of the damage.

The Kusum Group, headed by Indian national Rajeev Gupta, has not publicly commented on the attack so far. 
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Indian group with operations in Ukraine

The Kusum Group began its operations in Ukraine in 1994 by exporting medicines from India. In 2002, it shifted from distributing medicines made by other companies to developing and marketing its own brands.

The group later expanded into pharmaceutical manufacturing, establishing a plant in India in 2007 and its Sumy facility in Ukraine in 2009. It subsequently added two more manufacturing facilities in India.

The company manufactures more than 50 pharmaceutical products, most of them generic medicines, and operates across several international markets, including Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and the Philippines.

Kusum describes itself as a Ukrainian pharmaceutical company with Indian roots.

The Sumy plant had continued operating through much of the Russia-Ukraine war but has now suffered extensive damage. Reports have estimated the financial losses from the attack at at least Rs 400 crore.
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Russia intensifies drone strikes

The attack comes amid continued Russian drone and missile strikes across Ukraine. Sumy, which lies close to Russia’s border, has faced repeated attacks since the beginning of the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the latest strikes and expressed condolences to the family of the person killed. He said Russian drones also targeted the Pivnichnyi Bridge in Kyiv and a communications facility in Dnipro.

Ukraine has faced growing challenges in countering Russia’s large-scale use of long-range Shahed-type drones, including faster jet-powered variants.

The latest attacks come as Kyiv continues to develop and deploy its own weapons systems. Ukraine recently announced the first combat use of its domestically developed FP-7 ballistic missile, which reportedly has a range of around 250 km.