U.S. manufacturing facility bombed in huge Russian airstrike in Ukraine : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5740x3827+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb5%2F5a%2Ff39363a84e5aa5fd559b6b3d2017%2Fukraine-8-21-25-gettyimages-2230445023.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5740x3827+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb5%2F5a%2Ff39363a84e5aa5fd559b6b3d2017%2Fukraine-8-21-25-gettyimages-2230445023.jpg" class="img" alt="Ukrainians take shelter in a subway station in Kyiv." fetchpriority="high"/> Ukrainians take shelter in a subway station in Kyiv early Thursday as Russia unleashed one in all its largest airstrikes of the struggle. Russia fired greater than 600 drones and missiles, in accordance with the Ukraine navy. Most focused western Ukraine, the place a U.S. electronics manufacturing facility was hit. Roman Pilipey/AFP through Getty Photographs conceal caption

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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 struggle, 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 known 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 navy "delivered this strike as if nothing had modified in any respect. As if there have been no efforts by the world to cease this struggle."

Opposite to all efforts to finish the struggle, Russia undertook a large mixed air strike on Ukraine in a single day.

A whole bunch of drones, hypersonic, ballistic, and cruise missiles on civilian and vitality infrastructure.

One of many missiles struck a significant American electronics… pic.twitter.com/CTRoXpsk4y

— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) August 21, 2025

Zelenskyy and different officers didn't title the corporate. Ukrainian media experiences mentioned it was Flex, which produces civilian digital parts and merchandise with greater than 100 workplaces and factories worldwide. The corporate has headquarters in each Austin, Texas, and Singapore. Flex didn't instantly reply to emails in search of 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 often than different areas. However the area was the main focus of Russia's in a single day barrage of tons of of drones and missiles. Ukraine's navy mentioned it shot down many of the incoming weapons, however some managed to get by. One civilian was killed in Lviv, the biggest metropolis in western Ukraine, the navy 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 and launch peace negotiations.

Trump has instructed the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Workers, Air Pressure Gen. Dan Caine, to work on plans for safety ensures for Ukraine. Nonetheless, any U.S. position would doubtless 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 struggle ends.

Caine has been speaking to counterparts in European nations. Some European states say they may ship troops in some unspecified time in the future sooner or later, however the talks are nonetheless in a preliminary stage because the struggle 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 ironclad.

"I strongly proceed to imagine that the one answer is NATO membership for Ukraine," mentioned Oleksandr Merezhko, a member of the Ukrainian parliament who heads the International Affairs Committee. "This is able to cease the struggle. This is able to 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 atmosphere.

Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, has spoken of a assure that might resemble NATO's Article 5 — which says an assault on one is an assault on all.

However Ukraine has had restricted safety guarantees prior to now, 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. International Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated the nation's place Wednesday, saying Russia ought to have veto energy over safety ensures for Ukraine. That will successfully make any such ensures meaningless.

Regardless of the latest flurry of diplomatic exercise, neither Russia nor Ukraine has indicated a willingness to make main concessions.

"At present 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.