At least 37 dead in drone attack on ammunition depot in Myla; Zelenskyy answers

A Russian drone attacked a warehouse in an area west of the Ukrainian capital Kiev on Friday evening (local time), killing at least 37 people in what is being described as the deadliest attack of the war this year.

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Russian drone attack on warehouse: Here’s what we know

The drone attack on the warehouse took place in Myla, a village in Bucha district. Ukrainian officials said the warehouse stored grenades, mines and other munitions. The explosion caused massive explosions and fires that spread to dozens of nearby houses and buildings, the AP agency reported on Saturday (local time).

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the local regional military administration, said the strike at the warehouses caused fires that spread to nearby houses and damaged nearly 50 residential buildings. Local media quoted him as saying that of the 37 people killed, 34 were residents of a nursing home for the elderly and disabled. More than 370 people were evacuated.

The attack came in the second of three days of near-continuous strikes by Moscow that have severely disrupted life in and around the Ukrainian capital. Since Thursday (local time), Russian forces have launched near-constant attacks on Kiev and other parts of Ukraine, with officials saying Moscow is building up its missile stockpile and launching massive attacks every few days in an attempt to wear down Ukraine’s defenses with a massive number of strikes.

The explosions rocked Myla and sent people scrambling for cover.

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Ukrainian president, prime minister reacts to Myla strike

As rescue teams and crews worked to control the fire, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack on Friday night as a “terrible situation”, adding that it appeared to be the result of “terrible carelessness on the part of those who stored explosives right next to people”.

In a post on X, Zelensky wrote: “Since yesterday evening and throughout today, I have been receiving reports about the situation in the village of Myla in the Kyiv region, where detonation began after the Russian strike. A terrible situation and terrible carelessness on the part of those who stored explosives right next to people.”

The Ukrainian president shed more light on the situation, writing: “Another such crime – after what happened in Vyshnev – is absolutely unacceptable. I expect that the details will be presented to the public immediately. The first strike was on an ammunition depot that definitely should not have been there – a defense force depot. Shells, mines, other munitions and drones are fired.”

He added that the Ukrainian government has already spoken to the Prosecutor General, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Security Service of Ukraine and the Commander-in-Chief about the investigation.

Separately, Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi also responded to Friday’s strikes. While he did not specify what munitions were stored in the warehouse, he referred to an attack on Vyshneve in July that targeted an ammunition depot that killed 22 people and triggered a series of explosions and fires that damaged nearby homes.

He said: “Unfortunately, we can already see that the terrible tragedy in Vyšněv has not become a lesson,” and added: “In the fifth year of a large-scale invasion, making the same mistakes is criminal negligence. And all the culprits, without exception, must be severely punished so that such situations do not happen again.”

Russian response to Myla warehouse strike

Russia’s defense ministry said on Saturday it had targeted a warehouse in Myla where parts and launch engines for long-range drones were stored. It also said the ports of Mykolayiv and Izmail, a logistics center and a warehouse storing components for the country’s Flamingo cruise missiles were also targeted.

The strikes come as both sides ramp up their air defenses, with the nearly five-year-old war out of sight.