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A Ukrainian court remanded in custody the organiser of a weapons exhibition that was struck by Russia in an attack that killed at least 11 people. Prosecutors brought a case against Vasyl Goncharuk, head of the Armada weapons industry association, accusing him of negligence leading to loss of life after the Russian ballistic missile strike on a shooting range outside Kyiv on Friday. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it “certainly should not have been taking place there”. Russia’s defence ministry confirmed it hit the site during “a demonstration of Ukrainian and foreign-made” drones.
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Goncharuk appeared at the Kyiv court limping and said he sustained light injuries in the attack. Prosecutors have said the weapons association invited more than 300 people including military personnel, state representatives and business figures without official authorisation, providing only a small shelter. The event was even promoted on social media. Agence France-Presse said its reporters saw homes in ruins and victims in body bags after the attack. Previous incidents of Russian attacks on openly held Ukrainian military gatherings have also triggered outcry and resignations.
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A Wildberries warehouse in the Koledino district of Moscow was reportedly on fire on Tuesday morning after being hit by drones as the Russian capital came under attack. The distribution complex for the Amazon-like chain had been targeted previously. A steel factory in Chekhnov, Moscow oblast, was also hit, the Kyiv Independent reported. The Russian regional governor, Andrei Vorobyov, said an apartment building in Chekhov was damaged. Drones targeted other areas including Podolsk, Domodedovo and Kolomna.
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The Pentagon official tasked with building a domestic drone industry said on Monday the US was still far behind Ukraine’s production capabilities. Travis Metz, chief operating officer of the Defense Innovation Unit, told Reuters that Ukraine would produce 6m-7m small first-person-view attack drones this year – roughly 500,000 a month. By comparison, the Pentagon’s $1.1bn programme will have ordered just under 200,000 altogether by February. But the US would catch up and lead the sector, he predicted.
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The Pentagon is insisting military drones must be made with US parts to foster “a wholly domestic” supply chain. None of the drones from the 19 companies competing an August test event may contain banned parts like Chinese-made motors or battery packs. “It’s an increasingly difficult thing,” Metz said. Ukrainian companies competing in the test, called Gauntlet II, are being required to localise production in the US as a condition of future orders.
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All 100 members of the US Senate have been invited to a meeting on Tuesday evening with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukraine’s president will be in Washington for the funeral of the late Republican senator Lindsey Graham, who was a strong and influential supporter of Ukraine. A Senate aide said voting might also begin during Zelenskyy’s visit on a bill to impose sanctions on Russia that was championed by Graham. Zelenskyy is due to meet on Tuesday with Donald Trump.
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Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, the war in Ukraine has changed dramatically. The Guardian’s Luke Harding looks at who has the advantage in the war now and how Zelenskyy’s strategy has shifted.
