Ukrainians take shelter in a subway station in Kyiv early Thursday as Russia unleashed one in all its largest airstrikes of the conflict. Russia fired greater than 600 drones and missiles, in accordance with the Ukraine army. Most focused western Ukraine, the place a U.S. electronics manufacturing facility was hit.
Roman Pilipey/AFP through Getty Photographs
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Roman Pilipey/AFP through Getty Photographs
KYIV, Ukraine — A Russian missile slammed into an American electronics manufacturing facility in a distant nook of far western Ukraine early Thursday, inflicting intensive harm and greater than a dozen accidents, in accordance with Ukrainian officers.
The assault got here as Russia carried out one in all its largest airstrikes of the conflict, firing greater than 570 drones and 40 missiles in an in a single day barrage, in accordance with the officers.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was one in all a number of officers who took to social media to report the airstrike, saying a Russian cruise missile hit the plant and a minimum of 15 folks have been wounded.
In his submit on the Telegram messaging app, Zelenskyy referred to as it an “peculiar civilian enterprise, an American funding. They produced such acquainted home goods as espresso machines.”
The Ukrainian chief went on to say that the Russian army “delivered this strike as if nothing had modified in any respect. As if there have been no efforts by the world to cease this conflict.”
Opposite to all efforts to finish the conflict, Russia undertook an enormous mixed air strike on Ukraine in a single day.
Lots of of drones, hypersonic, ballistic, and cruise missiles on civilian and vitality infrastructure.
One of many missiles struck a serious American electronics… pic.twitter.com/CTRoXpsk4y
— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) August 21, 2025
Zelenskyy and different officers didn’t title the corporate. Ukrainian media stories mentioned it was Flex, which produces civilian digital elements and merchandise with greater than 100 places of work and factories worldwide. The corporate has headquarters in each Austin, Texas, and Singapore. Flex didn’t instantly reply to emails looking for remark.
Movies on social media confirmed thick black smoke rising from a big industrial plant within the city of Mukachevo, close to the border with Hungary. On its web site, Flex says it has an operation in Mukachevo.
Russia assaults western Ukraine much less continuously than different areas. However the area was the main target of Russia’s in a single day barrage of a whole lot of drones and missiles. Ukraine’s army mentioned it shot down a lot of the incoming weapons, however some managed to get by way of. One civilian was killed in Lviv, the most important metropolis in western Ukraine, the army added.
Assault follows Trump’s diplomatic efforts
This comes simply days after President Trump met individually with Zelenskyy in Washington and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in Alaska in an try to launch peace negotiations.
Trump has instructed the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Employees, Air Power Gen. Dan Caine, to work on plans for safety ensures for Ukraine. Nevertheless, any U.S. position would possible be restricted to some type of air help. Trump has made clear he does not need U.S. troops on the bottom in Ukraine, at the same time as peacekeepers after the conflict ends.
Caine has been speaking to counterparts in European nations. Some European states say they may ship troops sooner or later sooner or later, however the talks are nonetheless in a preliminary stage because the conflict rages on.
Ukrainians, in the meantime, imagine Putin remains to be decided to hold on with the preventing. Ukrainians need Western safety ensures, however many say they need to be iron-clad.
“I strongly proceed to imagine that the one resolution is NATO membership for Ukraine,” mentioned Oleksandr Merezhko, a member of Ukrainian parliament who heads the Overseas Affairs Committee. “This may cease the conflict. This may cease Putin’s aggression as a result of Putin is afraid of just one factor — NATO.”
Many Ukrainians share his place. Ukraine was initially promised a path to NATO membership in 2008, however there’s been no actual progress since, and Trump says it will not occur within the present surroundings.
Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, has spoken of a assure that would resemble NATO’s Article 5 — which says an assault on one is an assault on all.
However Ukraine has had restricted safety guarantees previously, and that hasn’t stopped Russia from invading twice, first in 2014 and once more on a a lot bigger scale in 2022.
Russia stays staunchly against Western troops in Ukraine. Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated the nation’s place Wednesday, saying Russia ought to have veto energy over safety ensures for Ukraine. That might successfully make any such ensures meaningless.
Regardless of the latest flurry of diplomatic exercise, neither Russia or Ukraine has indicated a willingness to make main concessions.
“At the moment second, the pursuits, positions, and stances of Ukraine and Russia are diametrically opposed and so they can’t be reconciled,” mentioned Merezhko, the member of Ukraine’s parliament.
