Russian attack hits US electronics plant in western Ukraine
A massive Russian attack struck the U.S.-owned Flex factory in the western Ukrainian city of Mukachevo, Zakarpattia Oblast, overnight on Aug. 21.
"This was an ordinary civilian facility with American investment. They produced everyday household items, such as coffee machines," President Volodymyr Zelensky said after the attack.
According to Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, the facility "has nothing to do with defense or the military."
An employee at Flex told the Kyiv Independent that the plant does not produce any military equipment.
Russia launched 574 drones and decoys, and 40 missiles across Ukraine overnight, mostly targeting western regions far from the front lines. The strike came days after U.S. President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, and later with Zelensky in Washington, in an effort to mediate a peace deal.
Despite the talks, Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities have continued, inflicting civilian casualties.
At least 19 people were injured in the attack on Mukachevo, according to local authorities.
Sybiha said that one missile hit the Flex plant, while Zelensky said the site was targeted with "several" cruise missiles.
Photos and videos shared on social media show significant damage to the plant's premises.
An employee at the plant told the Kyiv Independent that about 800 workers normally work on the night shift. On Aug. 21, most evacuated to on-site concrete shelters after the air raid alert went off.
According to the plant employee, the company had strict protocols in place during air raid alerts.
Flex Ltd. is an American multinational company and one of the world’s largest electronics contract manufacturers. The company entered the Ukrainian market in 2000, initially in Berehove in Zakarpattia Oblast. In 2012, Flex Ltd. opened a 55,000-square-meter Mukachevo plant, which now employs over 2,600 people.
The Kyiv Independent reached out to the company for a comment.
This marks the first Russian strike on Mukachevo since the start of the full-scale invasion. The city lies some 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the Hungarian border.
This is not the first Russian strike on U.S.-linked facilities in Ukraine. In June, Russia targeted a building used by the U.S. aerospace and defense giant Boeing in an attack on Kyiv.
