Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media that around 100 people were injured in the daytime attack on the exhibition.
In a separate attack, five people were killed by Russian shell fragments in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk.
Meanwhile, an overnight Ukrainian strike reportedly killed six people and injured 26 others in the Russian city of Kirov, located more than 1,000 kilometers from the frontline.
Following the strike near Kyiv, there were widespread concerns that Serhiy Beskrestnov, a Ukrainian Defense Ministry adviser widely known as “Flash,” and Lyuba Shypovych, a key figure in developing drone technology for Ukraine’s military, might have been among the victims.
However, both later posted on social media confirming they were safe. Beskrestnov said he had decided not to attend the event because of security concerns.
Ukraine’s Air Force spokesperson, Yuri Ihnat, told Ukrainian television that Russia launched three ballistic missiles in the attack, but only one was intercepted and destroyed.
The exhibition drew sharp public criticism because it had been publicly advertised on social media despite the ongoing security risks.
President Zelenskyy said an investigation into the attack had been launched. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office said investigators are examining who authorized the event and whether adequate security measures had been put in place.
The missile strike came just hours after Ukraine carried out attacks on a factory in Kirov and on a military storage facility in northwestern Russia.
Zelenskyy said one of the targets in Kirov was “one of Russia’s key military enterprises,” which manufactures equipment used in aircraft and missiles deployed in attacks against Ukraine.
