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 The Federation of Pharmaceuticals Entrepreneurs (FOPE), the apex body particularly of MSME pharmaceutical manufacturers in India, has regretted the unwarranted attack of the warehouse of the Indian pharma company Kusum Healthcare in Ukraine.
Unfortunately, on April 12, 2025, a missile struck the warehouse of Kusum Healthcare in Ukraine. The warehouse contained critical care medicines & API (active pharmaceutical ingredients) imported from India particularly meant for geriatric and paediatric patients in Ukraine, said the press release issued by FOPE.
Regretting the unwarranted attack on the facility of its member Indian company which supplies lifesaving and critical care medicines to vulnerable population in the conflict zone, FOPE said that the damage due to this attack is huge and is estimated to be a staggering amount of Rs. 150 crore. Being in conflict zone, insurance is not available.
Now FOPE appeals to the Union government to consider suitable compensation to the company immediately to continue its operations as it involves significant foreign exchange as well as employment to 2,000 personnel in Ukraine and an equal number in India.
India is acknowledged as ‘Pharmacy to the World’. Despite dangers of war which is normally never aimed at healthcare facilities, the supplies of lifesaving and critical supplies of medicines continues unabated. Now adequate compensation must be provided immediately to Kusum Healthcare to sustain and maintain its operations as a relief measure on humanitarian grounds, said Harish Jain, national president, FOPE.
We also appeal to Union government to immediately take up the matter with authorities of both Ukraine & Russia diplomatically to ensure such attacks on healthcare facilities including medicine warehouses do not happen in future from either sides, said Jain.
Further, FOPE also requested to come out with a policy to protect assets of Indian companies abroad in a way lives of Indian nationals as well as valuable assets overseas particularly noting that War Zones are adequately protected to maintain supply chain of lifesciences products globally, pointed out Jain.
On April 17, 2025, Russia rejected Ukraine's charges that the Russian military attacked a warehouse of an Indian pharmaceutical company in Kyiv. The Russian embassy suggested that the Ukrainian air defence missiles may have fallen on the warehouse of Indian pharma company Kusum that triggered a fire, according to a media house report.
The Ukrainian embassy in India said a Russian missile struck the warehouse of Indian pharmaceutical company Kusum and that Moscow has been deliberately targeting Indian businesses in Ukraine.
In response to the accusations spread by the embassy of Ukraine in India, the Russian embassy informed that Russian armed forces did not attack or plan to attack Kusum Healthcare's warehouse on April 12.
It said Russian tactical aviation targeted unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and missile forces hit an aviation plant of the Ukrainian military besides an airfield and armoured vehicle repair and UAV assembly workshops at a completely different location on that day. "The most likely explanation of the incident is that one of Ukrainian air defence missiles fell on Kusum Healthcare's warehouse setting it on fire," the Russian embassy said.
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