New Delhi: At least 37 people have been killed and 42 injured after a Russian drone strike hit a Ukrainian military weapons depot near Kyiv, triggering
a massive explosion and forcing nearly 400 people to evacuate the area.
Huge blast damages homes, care facility
The Russian strike hit an ammunition depot in the village of Myla, in the Bucha district west of Kyiv, late on Friday. The attack caused artillery shells, mines, drones and other ammunition stored at the facility to detonate, creating a huge blast and widespread fires.
Ukrainian officials said the explosion damaged around 130 homes and nearby infrastructure, including a care facility for elderly people and people with disabilities. Four children were among the 42 people injured. Nearly 400 residents were evacuated as emergency crews continued rescue and recovery operations.
Among those killed was the head of a neighbouring village, who had gone to the site to help with the emergency response.
The strike came as Russian drone and missile attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions continued for a third consecutive day. A separate Russian drone attack in the Boryspil district killed a 14-year-old girl, while a two-year-old girl was killed in Kyiv after a Russian drone crashed in the capital.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had targeted an ammunition depot in Myla containing components and launch boosters for FP-1 and FP-2 long-range drones. Moscow has continued to intensify its aerial campaign against Ukraine, including through the use of high-speed and jet-powered drones.
Zelensky orders probe into weapons storage
The deadly explosion has also raised questions inside Ukraine over why military explosives were being stored so close to residential areas.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the facility “definitely shouldn’t have been there” and accused those responsible for storing explosives near civilians of “terrible negligence”. He said criminal proceedings had been opened over possible official negligence. Ukraine’s prosecutor general is investigating whether the placement and storage of explosive materials at the site complied with regulations.
The incident has drawn comparisons with a similar explosion at a weapons warehouse in Vyshneve near Kyiv last month. That blast killed at least nine people and damaged hundreds of homes after a Russian strike triggered secondary explosions.
Zelensky said the latest incident was ‘absolutely unacceptable’, while Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky criticised officials for failing to learn from the earlier case. Ukraine’s Defence Ministry has ordered a full audit of ammunition-storage locations.
The attack is currently the deadliest Russian strike in the Kyiv area this year, highlighting both the continuing intensity of Russia’s aerial campaign and the growing risks posed by the storage of military materials near civilian communities.
