Russian strike on Kyiv-area ammunition depot triggers blast, killing 37
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A car passes by a site of a Russian drone strike as smoke rises, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv region, Ukraine, Aug 29.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- At least 27 people died after a Russian drone struck a warehouse storing explosive materials near Kyiv, causing a large fire and explosions.
- Ukrainian prosecutors opened an investigation into possible criminal negligence and the legality of storing explosives at the facility.
- Prime Minister Sergiy Koretsky condemned repeated safety failures, calling for severe punishment to prevent future incidents.
AI generated
KYIV - At least 37 people were killed after a Russian drone attack on a Kyiv-area ammunition depot sparked a detonation, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug 29, vowing to punish suspected negligence in the second such incident in two months.
The deadliest Russian strike in the Kyiv area this year came as Moscow’s air attacks on the Ukrainian capital and surrounding region dragged into a third straight day, killing residents, damaging homes and derailing daily life.
Dozens were also injured and hundreds evacuated from the area of the strike late on Aug 28 on the village of Myla, Zelensky said, where nearby infrastructure including residential buildings and a facility for the elderly and people with disabilities suffered “significant damage”.
The attack sparked widespread fires, officials said. Among those killed was the head of a neighbouring village who rushed to help.
“A terrible situation and terrible negligence on the part of those who stored explosives right next to people,” Zelensky said in a video address.
The site of the Aug 28 blast was a military facility that held artillery shells, mines and drones, among other ammunition, he added.
It followed a similar incident in the Kyiv-area town of Vyshneve in July, when 10 people were killed and hundreds of houses damaged after a strike triggered secondary explosions.
“Another such crime – after what happened in Vyshneve – is absolutely unacceptable,” Zelensky said. “I expect the details to be presented to the public promptly.”
He added that criminal cases had already been opened on charges of official negligence. Ukrainian officials rarely disclose damage to military targets from Russian attacks.
In a statement on Aug 29, Ukraine’s Defence Ministry said all those responsible for weapons storage should complete a full audit of their locations.
Drone swarms
Nine other regions had been targeted in overnight strikes by Russia, Zelensky added, saying Kyiv in particular was under “virtually non-stop attack” from jet-powered drones.
Russia has escalated its air war on Ukraine with increasing numbers of elusive ballistic missiles and new high-speed drones, which Kyiv lacks the air defences to shoot down.
On Aug 29, sirens blared throughout the morning and afternoon for a third straight day as Ukraine’s air force warned of new waves of drones approaching the capital.
The sound of air defences boomed 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 on Aug 29.
Strikes in and around the city on Aug 27 and 28 had damaged residential buildings and storage facilities belonging to major retailers, part of what some Ukrainian officials said was a campaign aimed at “paralysing” the city of several million. REUTERS
