Budanov calls strike on drone exhibition near Kyiv a lesson for Ukraine

The head of the Ukrainian president’s office, Kyrylo Budanov, said that the strike on a weapons exhibition in the Kyiv region on July 24 was a lesson, and criticized the event’s organizers, pointing to their personal responsibility for people’s safety.

Budanov published his statement on Telegram. According to him, organizers and those who approved the event are obligated, under wartime conditions, to ensure security at the highest level.

“Security must be guaranteed at the highest level. If it is not, then there is no event. This lesson is, unfortunately, not the first, but it must finally be the last,” Budanov wrote.

On July 24, Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced that its forces had struck with long-range precision weapons a facility in a suburb of Kyiv where a demonstration of Ukrainian and foreign-made drones used for strikes on Russian infrastructure was being held. The ministry also stated that leading drone developers and manufacturers were present at the site at the time of the strike. The Russian military ministry has repeatedly stated that strikes are carried out only against military and energy facilities in Ukraine and related infrastructure.

Ukraine’s Arms Manufacturers Council confirmed that the strike had been carried out against a facility “where representatives of the Ukrainian defense industry were present.”

On July 25, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko announced the detention of the exhibition’s organizer. He was charged under the article “Official negligence,” and a court will determine a preventive measure in the near future. Due to minor injuries, the detainee is under guard at a medical facility.

In addition to the organizer, law enforcement will review the activities of the national police, the SBU, and government authorities. According to investigators, one of the arms associations organized a large-scale event involving military personnel, government officials, international partners, and businesses without coordinating with the military command, administrations, or authorized bodies.