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War
1613th day. The organizer of a military exhibition near Kyiv, which was hit by Russia, was detained. The attack killed 10 people and injured about 100
Since February 24, 2022, Meduza has been broadcasting live about the Russian-Ukrainian war. We publish your letters every day because we are sure that we need to continue talking about the war. Share with us your thoughts about the war. What feelings are you experiencing? How does war affect your life and your attitude towards the world? If you have a story related to the war, tell it . The feedback form is at the end of this article. A review of the previous day can be read here .
In Ukraine, the organizer of an arms exhibition in the Buchansky district of the Kyiv region was detained, where a Russian strike on July 24 killed 10 people and injured about 100 more. This was announced by the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Kravchenko. The detainee, whose name was not given, was charged with official negligence (part 3 of article 367 of the Criminal Code, punishment - from five to eight years in prison).
Kravchenko noted that Russia was behind this strike, but the investigation is establishing the circumstances due to which the scale of the tragedy increased. According to investigators, one of the gunsmith associations, “without any coordination” with the military command and administration, organized “a large-scale event with the participation of the military, representatives of government agencies, international partners and business.” The program provided for a demonstration of air defense systems. More than 300 people were invited to the open area, and the nearest shelter, measuring just 34 square meters, was about 100 meters away.
“The invitations were sent out nine days before the event, and the exact place and time were announced a day before. The investigation is checking whether these actions could have contributed to the enemy being able to prepare a targeted strike,” Kravchenko said.
He added that “due to minor injuries” the exhibition organizer is under escort in a medical facility. A preventive measure will be chosen for him in the near future.
Russian troops launched a missile attack on the territory where the exhibition was taking place on the afternoon of July 24. The Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stated that two Russian ballistic missiles hit the exhibition site. As a result of the shelling, 27 private houses and 44 vehicles were damaged. According to the representative of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Yuriy Ignat, the strike was carried out on a private sports complex, and not on a training ground (this was previously reported), and it has nothing to do with the Ukrainian army.
Ukrainian media wrote that the exhibition was organized by the association of drone manufacturers "Armada", which presented "comprehensive solutions for protecting critical infrastructure from modern air threats." The announcement of the exhibition was published in the public domain.
Among the dead are an employee of a Polish defense company (his name has not been given), a former employee of the Ukrainian special services, Eduard Serenko , and the head of the center for international cooperation and strategic communications of the State Security Administration, Valentina Savitskaya . The head of the office of the President of Ukraine, Kirill Budanov, reported that foreign delegations were at the event. “In a full-scale war, the organizers of such events and those who coordinate them must bear personal responsibility for the people,” he added.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that Russian troops attacked a facility in the suburbs of Kyiv, where a demonstration of drones was being held. According to the Russian department, at the time of the strike there were leading developers and manufacturers of drones, as well as representatives of the command of the forces of unmanned systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Ukrainian special services, “directly planning and carrying out attacks on Russian territory.”
War in photographs. Consequences of Russian strikes on Slavyansk
On July 24, Russian troops attacked Slavyansk in the Donetsk region twice with air bombs. The first strike killed five people and injured nine more. The second blow hit residential buildings; apartment and private residential buildings were destroyed and damaged. 16 people were injured.
War through the eyes of Meduza readers
How we choose letters
Meduza's readers live in different countries and have different attitudes towards the war. We publish your letters to see this event through your eyes. Our editors try to present all points of view, even if they do not coincide with the editorial position. However, in accordance with the Meduza code, we do not publish messages that contain “hate speech,” justify the murder of civilians, or express direct support for an aggressive war.
Igor (Warsaw) . My attitude towards the war has not changed since February 24, 2022. I believe that starting a war was a crime and no shortcomings of the Ukrainian state and society can justify the war. I protested from the first day of the war, and later was forced to flee the country so as not to end up behind bars. I think I did the right thing and have no regrets.
At the same time, I am sad to see how, as a result of the war, Ukraine is increasingly turning into little Russia. I am sorry that, following the example of Russia, Ukraine, instead of fighting the enemy army, began to fight the civilian population. No matter what anyone says, it is primarily civilians who are suffering from the attacks of recent months. The refineries that Ukraine is attacking are mainly either exporting or supplying the civilian sector. The impact of these attacks on the course of the war, as we see, is minimal. Okay, fuel is still a dual-use product. But the recent attacks on Wildberries warehouses, where civilians died, how can they, at least in theory, help Ukraine win the war? What about attacks on residential buildings? This is not a response to aggression, this is a war crime. And I think it is necessary to talk about this. Attacks on civilians are prohibited not only because they are immoral, but because they are senseless.
Anticipating the question, no, I don’t think that Russia can do it, but Ukraine can’t. No one can. And if one side uses such barbaric methods, this does not give the other the moral right to do the same.
However, I can understand the Ukrainians. During four years of war and bombing, anyone can become brutal. What I can’t understand are Russian citizens who have lived relatively calmly in recent years, and now they rejoice at attacks on their country, they say, that’s what they need (as if we’re not talking about our fellow citizens). It's as if missiles and drones have a built-in sensor that distinguishes good people from bad people, supporters and opponents of war. Let's still remain human.