Russian Strike on Kyiv Region Warehouse Kills at Least 37
- According to the Associated Press, the strike sparked a large-scale fire and explosions at a warehouse in the village of Myla, damaging at least 50 residential buildings and...
- Tymur Tkachenko, head of the local regional military administration, stated that the resulting fire spread through homes and a restaurant, damaging at least 50 residential buildings.
- The nature of the strike triggered immediate scrutiny from Ukrainian leadership regarding the proximity of stored explosives to populated areas.
According to the Associated Press, the strike sparked a large-scale fire and explosions at a warehouse in the village of Myla, damaging at least 50 residential buildings and a care home for elderly people and people with disabilities in one of the deadliest attacks to hit Ukraine this year.
Bucha District Warehouse Strike and Casualties
Tymur Tkachenko, head of the local regional military administration, stated that the resulting fire spread through homes and a restaurant, damaging at least 50 residential buildings. According to Ukrainian media cited by the Associated Press, 34 of the people killed were residents at the care facility for elderly people and individuals with disabilities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described a terrible situation in a public statement, noting that a warehouse in the village of Myla was struck followed by a detonation.
Zelenskyy added that more than 370 people have already been evacuated, and the evacuation is ongoing.
Official Investigation Into Munitions Storage
The nature of the strike triggered immediate scrutiny from Ukrainian leadership regarding the proximity of stored explosives to populated areas. According to the Associated Press, Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainian law prohibits the storage of ammunition close to civilian homes and announced that criminal proceedings had been opened. There are regulations in place – ammunition cannot be stored near homes or other residential areas,
Zelenskyy said, adding that those who allowed this to happen must be held accountable for their decisions.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi drew comparisons to an early July attack on the Kyiv suburb of Vyshneve that hit an ammunition depot, killing 22 people and causing extensive detonations and fires. According to the Associated Press, Koretskyi called the latest incident criminal negligence during the fifth year of the full-scale invasion. Zelenskyy later announced that two officials from state-owned companies, including Ukraine’s largest arms producer, Ukroboronprom, illegally permitted weapons storage at the Vyshneve site and will face accountability.
Russian Military Statements and Wider Attacks
The Russian Ministry of Defense provided a different account of the targets, stating that its forces hit a warehouse in Myla used to store components and launch boosters for long-range drones. The strike occurred amid nearly constant air raids on Kyiv reaching a third day, disrupting civilian life and choking the local economy. In the southern Kherson region, separate Russian attacks on Saturday killed two people and wounded 27 others, according to regional administration head Oleksandr Prokudin. Prokudin noted that these strikes damaged homes and apartment blocks, injured one child, and followed an intensified campaign targeting critical infrastructure in a region mostly under Russian control.