Russia Refutes Claims of Missile Strike on Indian Pharma Warehouse in Kyiv, Points to Ukrainian Air Defence

The Russian Embassy in India has strongly denied Ukraine’s allegations that a Russian missile struck the warehouse of Indian pharmaceutical company Kusum Healthcare in Kyiv. The incident, which occurred on April 12, sparked sharp accusations from Ukrainian authorities, prompting a detailed rebuttal from Moscow.

In a social media post, the Ukrainian Embassy in India accused Russia of deliberately targeting the Kusum facility, stating, “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.”

Responding days later, the Russian Embassy called the claims baseless, asserting that Russian forces had not attacked—or even planned to target—Kusum Healthcare’s warehouse on the stated date.

Instead, the embassy detailed that Russian military operations on April 12 were focused on specific military targets, including an aviation plant, a military airfield, and facilities related to armoured vehicle repairs and UAV assembly—none of which were located near the Kusum site.

Russia suggested the blaze at the warehouse was more likely caused by a misfired Ukrainian air defence missile. “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,” the embassy said in its statement. It also cited previous instances where Ukrainian interceptor missiles, failing to reach their targets, had landed in urban areas due to what it described as “ineptly operated electronic warfare systems.”

Adding to the controversy, British Ambassador to Ukraine Martin Harris also commented on the incident via social media, noting that a pharmaceutical warehouse in Kyiv had been destroyed by Russian strikes. However, he did not identify Kusum by name and attributed the damage to drones, not missiles.

Firmly rejecting accusations of intentionally striking civilian infrastructure, the Russian Embassy reiterated: “During the Special Military Operation, the Russian Armed Forces have never targeted civilian facilities.”

Furthermore, the embassy alleged that Ukrainian forces have routinely stationed air defence systems and other military hardware in civilian zones, effectively using the population as human shields.