Samsung’s R&D office in Ukraine has been hit by a missile attack from Russia. The missile reportedly landed right next to a large civilian building in Kyiv, Ukraine, where one of Samsung’s biggest R&D offices in Europe is located as well as its regional headquarters.
Unfortunately, a number of people were hurt, and the building suffered significant damage. A series of images and videos surfaced on Twitter that show a lot of dust and smoke accumulated around the affected area. The total extent of the damage is unclear and Samsung is yet to respond to a request to comment.
The image below shows the aftermath of the attack.
Samsung was one of the many companies that stopped its product supply to Russia once it invaded Ukraine. Back in March this year, the Korean phone maker announced that it would no longer sell smartphones, chipsets, TVs, accessories, or other products in Russia. This was a major decision for Samsung as Russia was a major smartphone market for the company, with over 30% of the industry in its pocket.
The Korean company also halted its local production of TVs in Moscow, Russia.
However, a report from a Russian newspaper revealed last month that Samsung may resume smartphone shipments in the country in October, but Samsung did not respond to the development publicly. Hence, it remains unclear if Samsung plans to resume its business in the country.
Despite these setbacks, Samsung continues to be the biggest smartphone maker in the world, with a significant market share in almost every region. Its display and chip business is also thriving against major competitors including LG and TSMC.
Currently, it is working on the 3 nm chip fabrication process for next-generation smartphone chips with better performance and power efficiency.