Russian missile strike on private training ground near Kyiv kills 10, injures around 100

Update: Ukraine’s Prosecutor General, Ruslan Kravchenko, said 10 people were killed and about 100 injured in the Russian strike on the Kyiv region. He said investigators have opened a case into improper performance of official duties in organizing and holding the event, which led to deaths and other serious aftermath.

Russia launched a missile strike on Kyiv and the surrounding region on the afternoon of July 24. Ukrainian media, citing Valerii Borovyk, the founder of the defense manufacturer First Contact, reported that the attack hit a training ground in Kyiv region’s Bucha district.

Borovyk said the site was hosting a weapons exhibition at the time of the strike. He reported that there were people killed and injured but gave no further details. The news outlet Dzerkalo Tyzhnya reported that “representatives of Ukraine’s defense industry” were attending the exhibition and that its location had been kept secret.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a Telegram post that a rescue operation was underway in Kyiv region. He said six people had been killed in the Russian strike and that there were “dozens of injured,” without providing further details.

The Kyiv Regional Military Administration said preliminary information indicated that Russia had struck “a private training ground where an event was taking place.” Acting regional governor Ruslan Oliynyk said there were people killed and injured, adding that officials were still establishing the circumstances of the attack.

The Ukrainian outlet Unian reported that an exhibition called “Armada,” showcasing “comprehensive solutions for protecting critical infrastructure from modern airborne threats,” was held in the Kyiv region on July 24. The exhibition had been publicly announced.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on his Telegram channel that a missile threat had been declared in the city and urged residents to take shelter. As of publication, he had not reported on the aftermath of the strike. Citing monitoring projects, Unian reported that Russian forces fired about 10 “Zircon” missiles at the Ukrainian capital during the daytime attack.

The Ukrainian outlet RBC-Ukraine said that Russian forces more often strike Kyiv with missiles and drones at night rather than during the day. Citing analysts, the publication wrote that the daytime attack could have been a “political signal,” a delay caused by technical problems, or an attempt to deplete Ukraine’s air-defense missile stocks ahead of a new nighttime strike.