Russia’s Defense Ministry said it struck a subsidiary of Japan Tobacco International (JTI) in Ukraine’s Poltava region as part of an attack on Ukrainian defense industry enterprises, port infrastructure, and vessels. Russia alleged the JTI facility was producing ammunition for Ukrainian forces. JTI denied the allegation, saying it manufactures and sells tobacco products and has never been involved in military production.
JTI said the factory had been struck several times and that operations were suspended before the latest attacks. The company said all employees were safe. The Japanese Embassy in Ukraine said it had no information indicating that any Japanese nationals were affected by the latest attack.
