Indian-Run Kusum Pharma Plant In Sumy Damaged In Russian Drone Attack
Kusum Group plant suffers major damage; one person is killed.
A pharmaceutical plant operated by India’s Kusum Group in Ukraine’s Sumy was badly damaged in Russian drone attacks, with one person killed and several others injured, according to Ukrainian authorities. The main structure of the facility was reportedly largely destroyed in the attack. Officials cautioned that the number of casualties and injured could change as assessment and rescue operations continue.
Visuals from the site showed a large plume of smoke rising from the area targeted by the drones. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack and offered condolences to the family of the person who was killed. He also said Russian strikes targeted other locations, including the Pivnichnyi Bridge in Kyiv and a communications facility in Dnipro, where six people were reported injured.
The affected facility is associated with the Kusum Group, an Indian-founded pharmaceutical company that has operated in Ukraine for several years. The group began its operations in 1994 as a distributor exporting Indian medicines to Ukraine and later developed its own pharmaceutical manufacturing business. It established its manufacturing facility in Sumy in 2009, after setting up production operations in India in 2007.
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Kusum Group is currently run by Indian national Rajeev Gupta and describes itself as a Ukrainian company with Indian roots. The group produces more than 50 predominantly generic pharmaceutical products and markets them across several countries, including Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and the Philippines. The Sumy facility had continued operations during the Russia-Ukraine war before being severely affected by the latest attack.
The damage is expected to have a significant financial impact on the company, with the loss reportedly estimated at at least Rs 400 crore. The attack also highlights the continuing risks faced by industrial and commercial facilities operating in areas affected by the prolonged conflict. Details of the full extent of the damage to the plant and its operations are expected to become clearer after authorities complete their assessment.
The attack comes amid continued Russian drone strikes across Ukraine, with Moscow deploying large numbers of relatively inexpensive Shahed-type drones. Ukrainian air-defence forces have faced challenges in intercepting the fast-moving weapons. Kyiv has also been developing and deploying new domestic weapons systems, including the FP-7 ballistic missile, which Ukraine announced this week had been used in combat for the first time.
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