The Russian Embassy in New Delhi on Thursday denied allegations of an attack on an Indian-owned pharmacy warehouse in Kyiv last week, saying the Russian forces did not target Kusum Healthcare’s warehouse in the eastern part of the Ukrainian capital, as previously claimed. The embassy suggested that the fire at the warehouse was likely caused by a Ukrainian air defence missile, which, it said, “fell” after failing to intercept its intended target.
“Similar cases have occurred previously whereby Ukrainian air defence interceptors, failing to hit their targets, fell in urban areas due to ineptly operated electronic warfare systems”, the Russian Embassy said in a statement.
On April 12, Russian forces conducted a series of strikes on military sites, including an aviation plant associated with Ukraine’s military industrial complex, the infrastructure of a military airfield, and workshops for the repair of armoured vehicles and the assembly of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), it further said, adding that these targets were located in a different area.
Reiterating that the Russian forces “have never targeted civilian facilities”, the embassy criticised Ukrainian military tactics, alleging that Kyiv’s forces often deploy air defence systems, rocket launchers, artillery and other military equipment in urban areas, putting civilians at risk. “It has become customary for the Ukrainian military to deploy such systems using civilians as a human shield,” the statement read.
Moscow’s remarks come after the Ukrainian Embassy in India accused Russia of intentionally striking the Kusum Healthcare warehouse, in what was described as an attack on civilian infrastructure.
