Russian drone strike on Kyiv-area warehouse kills 37, injures dozens
A Russian drone strike on a warehouse in the village of Myla near Kyiv sparked a massive detonation that killed at least 37 people and injured dozens on Friday night. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed accountability, as the incident marks the second such strike-related explosion in the region in t
KYIV: At least 37 people were killed after a Russian drone strike on a warehouse in the village of Myla near Kyiv sparked a massive detonation, officials said on Saturday (Aug 29). The attack, which occurred late on Friday, marks one of the highest death tolls in months and is the second such incident in the area in two months.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said dozens were injured and more than 370 people evacuated from the area. Nearby infrastructure, including residential buildings and a facility providing care for the elderly, suffered "significant damage", he added. "Those who allowed this to happen must be held accountable for their decisions," Zelenskyy wrote on X. "There are regulations in place - ammunition cannot be stored near homes or other residential areas. Appropriate conclusions will certainly be drawn."
Russia has escalated its air war on Ukraine, using more ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones that are difficult to shoot down. Nine other regions had been targeted in overnight strikes, Zelenskyy said, noting that Kyiv in particular was under "virtually non-stop attack" from high-speed drones.
On Saturday, sirens blared throughout the morning for a third straight day as Ukraine's air force warned of new waves of drones approaching the capital. The sound of air defences could be heard booming across the sky. Kyiv region governor Tymur Tkachenko said a 14-year-old girl was killed in a morning drone strike on the Boryspil district. In Kyiv, a 2-year-old girl was killed by a downed drone, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Strikes in and around Kyiv on Thursday and Friday had damaged warehouses and homes, part of what some Ukrainian officials said was a campaign aimed at "paralysing" the city. Friday's blast follows a similar incident in the Kyiv-area town of Vyshneve last month, when 10 people were killed and hundreds of houses damaged after a strike triggered secondary explosions.
Prime Minister Sergiy Koretskyi, who visited the site of Friday's blast, posted on Telegram: "In the fifth year of full-scale war, we have no right to allow a repetition of tragedies like the one that occurred in Vyshneve, and this one in the Bucha district." Zelenskyy said criminal cases had already been opened on charges of official negligence.
