Russian strike on Kyiv warehouse: death toll rises to 37 as Kyiv investigates ‘negligence’

A Russian drone strike caused disaster in the village of Myla, in the Bucha district, west of Kyiv. Affected on Friday August 28 in the evening, a warehouse caught fire before being shaken by violent explosions which spread to neighboring infrastructures.

The death toll, initially established at 27 deaths on Saturday morning, was then increased to at least 37 deaths, according to the Ukrainian authorities. Forty-two people were also injured, including several children, while more than 370 residents had to be evacuated from the area. The search continued, with the authorities not ruling out a further worsening of the toll.

The explosion caused significant damage to the surrounding area. Around fifty residential buildings were affected, as well as an establishment welcoming the elderly, a restaurant and other infrastructure. Several hundred rescuers were mobilized to control the fires and secure the area.

Among the dead was Taras Didych, a local community leader in Dmytrivka, who is believed to have lost his life while participating in rescue operations. Regional authorities described the event as one of the deadliest attacks recorded in recent months in the capital region.

An investigation into the storage of explosives

Beyond Russia’s responsibility in the strike, the Ukrainian authorities are seeking to understand why a significant quantity of explosive products was stored in the immediate vicinity of homes.

The public prosecutor’s office opened an investigation for negligence to verify the legality of the storage conditions on the site. The investigations must in particular determine whether the company operating the warehouse had all the necessary authorizations and whether the safety rules applicable to explosive materials had been respected.

President Volodymyr Zelensky himself called for accountability to be established. He recalled that Ukrainian rules prohibit the storage of ammunition near residential areas and considered that those who allowed such a situation will have to answer for their decisions.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi used even harsher terms. He believes that the repetition of this type of situation, as Ukraine enters the fifth year of the large-scale Russian invasion, amounts to “criminal negligence”. He called for sanctions against all those potentially responsible.

A murderous precedent a few weeks earlier

The anger of the Ukrainian authorities can also be explained by a precedent that occurred in July in Vyshneve, also in the Kyiv region. A Russian strike against warehouses containing munitions had already caused a major detonation and caused several casualties.

Following this episode, an investigation revealed breaches of safety standards regarding the storage of ammunition near homes. Volodymyr Zelensky then asked the security services and the prosecutor’s office to establish responsibilities within the public company concerned.

The new episode of Myla therefore relaunches the debate on the location of military and industrial stocks in a country subject to daily Russian strikes. For Kyiv, the difficulty consists of maintaining the logistical capacities essential to the war effort while preventing sites containing dangerous materials from transforming a targeted strike into a catastrophe for the surrounding populations.

Russia has at the same time intensified its air attacks against Ukraine. Between Friday evening and Saturday morning, the Ukrainian army reported hundreds of drones and several missiles launched against different regions of the country. Other strikes also caused civilian casualties, notably in the Kyiv region and southern Ukraine.

Moscow claims to have targeted military infrastructure

The Russian Defense Ministry has claimed strikes against several Ukrainian installations that it presents as linked to the military effort, including logistical infrastructure and sites associated with drones and missiles.Kyiv, for its part, accuses Moscow of increasing attacks which also affect residential areas and civilian infrastructure.

The Myla strike comes after several days of repeated air alerts around Kyiv. Residents of the capital and its outskirts have been living under increased pressure for several weeks, as both sides intensify long-range attacks against military, energy and logistics infrastructure.

The Ukrainian investigation must now determine precisely the nature of the products stored at Myla, the conditions in which they were stored and possible administrative or private responsibilities. It will also have to establish whether the rules already strengthened after the Vyshneve disaster had actually been applied.

Alternative titles

1. Ukraine: Russian strike on warehouse kills at least 37 near Kyiv
2. Kyiv: 37 dead after warehouse explosion hit by Russian drone
3. Ukraine: after a deadly Russian strike, an investigation targets the storage of explosives
4. Russian strike near Kyiv: death toll rises to 37, Kyiv investigates “negligence”