In the early hours of August 21, 2025, the city of Mukachevo in Ukraine’s Zakarpattia region awoke to the sound of explosions as Russian cruise missiles struck a major electronics manufacturing plant owned by the American company Flex Ltd. The attack, which occurred around 4:40 a.m. local time, left at least 19 people injured and sparked a massive fire at the facility, according to Ukrainian officials and multiple international news outlets.
The missile strike was part of one of Russia’s largest aerial offensives in recent months. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that overnight, Russian forces unleashed a barrage of 574 drones and 40 missiles—some of them hypersonic Kinzhal missiles—across Ukraine, targeting sites in the country’s western regions far from the front lines. Explosions were reported in Lviv, Mukachevo, Zaporizhzhia, and other areas, and at least one person was killed in Lviv. The attack marked the third largest drone assault and the eighth largest missile attack by Russia in Ukraine this year, according to official figures cited by CBC.
Local authorities in Mukachevo, including Mayor Andrii Baloha, confirmed that the missiles struck the Flex Ltd. factory, a major employer in the region. “Cruise missiles struck a major factory employing thousands of residents in the city and surrounding district,” Baloha told reporters. At the time of the attack, approximately 600 employees were present at the plant. Thanks to rapid evacuation into designated shelters, a mass casualty event was avoided, according to the Mukachevo City Council Secretary Andrii Hlagoła. Emergency crews rushed to the scene, providing assistance to the wounded as the fire raged. By late afternoon, the number of injured had risen to 19, with six still hospitalized and receiving medical care, as reported by the Zakarpattia Regional State Administration’s head Myroslav Biletsky and confirmed by Flex Ltd. in a statement to Fox News Digital.
The factory, which produces plastic-molded components for electronics, coffee makers, printer cartridges, and digital price tags, is fully civilian in nature. Flex Ltd., a NASDAQ-listed firm founded in Silicon Valley and now headquartered in Austin, Texas, with its registered office in Singapore, emphasized that the Mukachevo facility “does not produce, supply, or support any military equipment or defense-related components.” The company’s spokesperson said, “This facility only produces civilian consumer goods.” Following the strike, the plant’s emergency protocols were executed, and the site was fully evacuated. “We are providing all necessary support to the injured employees and their families during this difficult time,” the spokesperson added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was quick to condemn the attack. In a statement shared on his official Telegram page and echoed across international outlets, Zelenskyy said, “They used several cruise missiles against an American-owned enterprise in Zakarpattia. It was an ordinary factory producing everyday goods like coffee machines. Yet this, too, is a target for Russia. Very telling.” He described the strike as a deliberate attack on a civilian site backed by American investment, underscoring the ongoing threat to non-military infrastructure in Ukraine. “Last night, the Russian army set one of its insane anti-records. They targeted civilian infrastructure facilities, residential buildings, and our people,” Zelenskyy added, as reported by Fox News Digital.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also weighed in, noting that the Russians had targeted a U.S. venture. “One of the missiles struck a major American electronics manufacturer in our westernmost region, leading to serious damage and casualties. A fully civilian facility that has nothing to do with defense or the military. This is not the first Russian attack on American businesses in Ukraine, after strikes on Boeing offices in Kyiv earlier this year and other attacks. No military logic or necessity, just terror against people, businesses, and normal life in our country,” Sybiha wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Russia, for its part, claimed responsibility for the strikes but insisted that its missiles targeted the “enterprises of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex,” including drone factories, storage depots, missile launch sites, and areas where Ukrainian troops were gathered. The Russian Defense Ministry denied that civilian areas were targeted, a claim Ukraine and its Western allies have repeatedly challenged. According to CBC, much of the military aid provided by Western countries to Ukraine is believed to be transported and stored in the country’s western regions, but local officials and Flex Ltd. maintain that the Mukachevo factory has no military ties.
The strike on Flex Ltd.—a company with deep American roots and a global presence—resonated internationally, especially given Mukachevo’s proximity to NATO borders with Hungary and Slovakia, just 30 miles away. The attack came at a delicate moment, as diplomatic efforts for a peace settlement in Ukraine were being renewed. President Zelenskyy pointedly remarked that the timing was “telling, right as the world awaits a clear answer from Russia on negotiations to end the war.” He reiterated Ukraine’s readiness to engage in direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, while expressing hope for stronger support and sanctions from the United States and other allies if Moscow remained intransigent.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the strike. However, President Donald Trump, who had been involved in recent discussions with President Putin and other world leaders on the Ukraine crisis, remarked, “It’s possible that [Putin] doesn’t want to make a deal. We’re going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks,” as reported by Fox News Digital. NATO leaders, too, voiced skepticism about Russia’s willingness to negotiate in good faith, especially in the wake of such a massive and destructive attack. France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs stated, “These attacks, the most massive in a month, illustrate Russia’s lack of any genuine intention to engage seriously in peace talks,” and reiterated support for President Trump’s initiative for a just and lasting peace.
As emergency crews continued their work in the aftermath of the Mukachevo attack, the broader context of the war remained grim. Ukraine has kept up its own attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, hitting oil refineries and fuel bases in recent days, according to Ukrainian military sources cited by CBC. Meanwhile, the international community faces mounting pressure to respond to Russia’s ongoing campaign of strikes against civilian and economic targets, which Ukrainian officials and their allies characterize as acts of terror designed to disrupt normal life and deter foreign investment.
The Mukachevo missile strike stands as a stark reminder of the war’s reach and the persistent danger faced by civilians and businesses far from the front lines. As the world watches for signs of diplomatic progress, the reality on the ground continues to be shaped by violence, uncertainty, and the resilience of those caught in the crossfire.
