- Russia struck a U.S.-owned Mondelez food production facility in Trostianets, Ukraine, damaging a factory that produces Oreo cookies and other American snack products without causing casualties.
- Ukrainian officials and visiting U.S. senators say repeated Russian strikes indicate American businesses operating in Ukraine are being deliberately targeted during the war.
Russia struck a United States–owned Mondelez factory in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Trostianets on February 21, damaging a civilian food production facility that manufactures the well-known Oreo cookies and other American snack products for the Ukrainian market, according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
The missile hit one of the plant’s production buildings, though no casualties were reported.
The strike comes amid growing concern among Ukrainian officials and visiting U.S. lawmakers that Russian forces are increasingly targeting American commercial assets operating inside Ukraine during the war, raising questions about the security of foreign investment in an active conflict zone.
Sybiha said the facility, known for producing Oreo cookies and other globally distributed food products, has operated since the 1990s and employs Ukrainian workers while contributing to both Ukrainian and American economic activity. Writing on social media, he stated: “Today, Russia struck another American business in Ukraine—a civilian production facility of Mondelez in Trostianets—one of the first major U.S. investments in Ukraine’s independent economy.”
“The missile hit one of the production buildings. Fortunately, there were no casualties,” he added.
Sybiha emphasized that the site had no military function, stating: “This is not a military target, but a factory that has operated since the 1990s, producing globally known brands, employing Ukrainians, contributing to our and American economy.”
He further argued that attacks on foreign-owned industrial facilities extend beyond Ukraine’s domestic economy. “When Russian missiles hit such sites, they are not only targeting Ukraine. They are targeting American business interests in Europe,” Sybiha wrote.
According to the Ukrainian foreign minister, continued strikes against civilian industry undermine diplomatic messaging from Moscow. “Moscow cannot speak of economic dialogue with the United States while attacking U.S.-owned production facilities,” he said, adding: “Targeting peaceful industry is not warfare — it is deliberate economic terror. Accountability must follow.”
The reported strike follows statements made days earlier by members of a bipartisan delegation of United States senators visiting Ukraine. Speaking on February 18 during a visit to the country, Senator Richard Blumenthal said Russian attacks appear to be deliberately directed at American commercial operations.
“I was shocked to learn that Putin is purposely targeting American businesses—bombing more than half of the 600 with operations here. It’s open season on American plants & offices in Ukraine,” Blumenthal said during the visit.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, co-chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, echoed those concerns during a briefing in Odesa after visiting Kyiv. “American businesses clearly are targets of Russia and Putin’s attacks. 50 percent of companies have been hit by Russian strikes,” she said.
Shaheen added that the concentration of American companies operating in southern Ukraine has also been affected. According to her remarks, “79 percent of these companies” operating in Odesa and the surrounding region have experienced Russian strikes.
Russia has repeatedly denied intentionally striking civilian or foreign-owned commercial facilities. Following a separate Russian strike on a U.S.-linked enterprise in western Ukraine in August 2025, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow “never and under no circumstances deliberately attacked any facilities not connected with Ukraine’s military capabilities.”
The competing claims highlight a growing dispute over whether economic assets linked to Western investment are becoming part of the broader confrontation between Russia and Ukraine and its international partners.
The issue has also intersected with recent political discussions in Washington regarding Ukraine’s long-term security framework. President Donald Trump has argued that the presence of American business investment in Ukraine could serve as a deterrent against renewed Russian aggression, suggesting that economic ties themselves function as a form of security guarantee.
Trump previously declined to commit to long-term peace guarantees for Ukraine, instead promoting joint mineral extraction agreements and expanded American capital investment as mechanisms that could discourage future attacks.
However, Ukrainian officials and analysts note that thousands of companies with American ownership operated in Ukraine before Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, and their presence did not prevent the initial assault. The continued targeting of industrial and commercial infrastructure during the war has therefore intensified debate over whether economic integration alone can provide meaningful protection.