KYIV -- A Ukrainian court ordered a Kyiv businessman jailed without bail following a Russian missile attack on a defense technology event that killed 11 people and wounded nearly 100.
Vasyl Honcharuk, who heads a business group called the Association of Manufacturers of Unmanned Systems and Related Technologies, will be held until at least September 21 pending further investigation. The Kyiv court also on July 27 agreed with a request by prosecutors to deny him bail.
The July 24 incident was the latest in a series involving military units or the defense industry that has infuriated the Ukrainian public and raised question about intelligence, security, and air defenses.
Authorities said the event -- a privately organized exhibition of drones and other technology, held at a site in the Kyiv region -- was hit by several Russian ballistic missiles. Prosecutors allege the event was held without official approval, included more than 300 participants, and that there was inadequate access to bomb shelters.
In the village of Kapitanivka, not far from the site of the attack, local residents said they were terrified when the missiles struck-- and were infuriated at the event's organizers.
"I just want to cry, to scream. I don't understand how anyone could organize an event like this in a residential neighborhood," said one man, who gave only his first name, Roman.
"My son was at home. He's been hospitalized, but he's in serious condition," another man, who gave his name as Viktor, told RFE/RL. "So thank you to the shooting range that organized this exhibition."
Over the course of the more-than-four-year-old Russian full-scale invasion, there have been several incidents where military units have held events -- ceremonies, training drills -- in public spaces that were then attacked by Russian forces.
In June 2025, Major General Mykhaylo Drapatiy tendered his resignation after he said he was responsible for overseeing a training exercise that was hit by a Russian missile, killing 12 soldiers.
That attack was seen as a breach of command protocol, since officers had been warned against holding training ceremonies that might be targeted by Russian missiles.
Drapatiy last week was appointed Ukraine's newest commander-in-chief, in a major shakeup of the defense ministry and armed forces command.
