Update: Samsung has released the following statement on the matter:
We can confirm that none of our employees at Samsung Ukraine has been hurt. Some of the office windows were damaged due to the impact from the blast that occurred 150 meters away. We remain committed to ensuring the safety of our employees and will continue to closely monitor the situation.
It is being reported that a Russian missile has landed right next to a large civilian building where Samsung's R&D office is located in Kyiv, Ukraine. It is said that it is one of the company's biggest R&D offices in Europe and the company's regional headquarter. There seems to be at least some damage to the building, and some people are reportedly hurt, but we hope that most people are safe.
A series of images on Twitter show a lot of dust and smoke up in the air around the building. The extent of damage to the building is unclear as of now, but we have reached out to Samsung to know more about this and if this is true. We will update the article once we get more official information.
A quick search on Google Maps reveals that it is the same Samsung R&D office that's located in the building that seems to have been hit by the missile, as reported by the tweet below. You can also see a video that shows the damaged building. There also seems to be a DTEK office (one of the biggest firms in the energy sector) and the German consulate (22nd floor) in the same building.
Samsung was among the many global companies to restrict their operations in Russia following the invasion. The company announced in March this year that it will stop selling phones, chipsets and other products in Russia. This was a major decision for Samsung as it accounts for over 30% of the Russian smartphone market. The company also temporarily suspended the operation of its TV factory in Kaluga, near Moscow.
However, it was reported by a Russian newspaper last month that Samsung may resume smartphone shipments in the country by October. Samsung reportedly declined to comment on the report. It's unclear whether the Korean company still has plans to proceed with the resumption of smartphone sales in the Russian Federation.
https://twitter.com/gchahal/status/1579380717804343297?s=61&t=gXfm6XnKukXULAfDLKlxyg
https://twitter.com/newsint_/status/1579376681638592512?s=61&t=gXfm6XnKukXULAfDLKlxyg
A missile just landed next to a large civil building. A Ukrainian friend on the ground with me says it’s the headquarters of Samsung in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/DIzsmN7y8n
— Jimmy Rushton (@JimmySecUK) October 10, 2022
— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) October 10, 2022
Seems to be true.
Orcs don't even pretend that they are shooting on military targets… pic.twitter.com/RmzOdS7GB4— Pavol Kain (@pavol_kain) October 10, 2022
#Samsung It's time to provide Ukraine with modern weapons and earn hype for its brand. Not only Elon can do almost free PR, but you can also too#Kyiv #russiaisaterrorisstate pic.twitter.com/JPA8difoCl
— yaros.eth 💙🧡 (@SPASoman) October 10, 2022
Developing…
