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Ukrainian officials reported that a Russian ballistic missile struck a drone exhibition near Kyiv on July 24, killing at least 10 people and injuring more than 100 others. The attack targeted an event showcasing advanced unmanned systems that drew defence industry representatives, according to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office. Air force spokesman Yuri Ihnat stated that three missiles were involved in the assault with one intercepted by Ukrainian defences.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called for a full investigation into the strike on the widely publicised gathering, his office said. Zelensky noted that the exhibition’s open promotion had sparked significant public anger across Ukraine. Russian authorities countered that the site was actively demonstrating drones intended for strikes on civilian targets inside Russia.
The incident represents at least the third time Russian forces have hit a similar drone-related display since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, the BBC reported. Separate strikes that day included Russian glide bombs that killed five people in the eastern town of Sloviansk, according to regional administrators. Ukrainian retaliatory actions overnight produced six fatalities and 26 wounded in the Russian settlement of Kirov, Russian officials confirmed.
A United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine assessment found at least 293 civilians killed and 1,990 injured across the country during June. Long-range weapons including missiles and drones remained the leading cause of civilian casualties, accounting for 45 percent of deaths that month, the mission’s data showed. The majority of those incidents took place in urban centres such as Kyiv and Dnipro far from active combat zones.
Zelensky’s office announced that the president will travel to Washington next week to hold talks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday. The Ukrainian leader also plans to attend the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham during the visit, his aides said. Romanian authorities separately reported that one of their F-16 fighters downed a Russian drone as part of heightened regional air defence measures.
Serhiy Beskrestnov, a defence ministry adviser also known as Flash, and Lyuba Shypovych were present at the exhibition but emerged uninjured from the strike, according to eyewitness accounts relayed by Ukrainian media. The event had brought together producers of drone technology critical to Ukraine’s wartime innovations. Officials continue to assess the full extent of damage to the exhibition facilities and surrounding areas.
