37 dead after Russian drone strike hits weapons depot near Kyiv
Ukrainian authorities launch investigation into storage of explosives near residential areas following fatal blast in Bucha district
Quick Look
- A Russian drone strike on a weapons depot in Myla, Bucha district, killed 37 people and injured 42, including four children.
- The blast damaged nearby homes and a care facility, prompting a criminal investigation into the storage of explosives near civilians.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The strike occurred in the village of Myla, where a weapons depot was located near residential buildings and a care home. Ukrainian authorities are investigating the legality of storing explosives in this proximity.
Thirty-seven people have died and almost 400 evacuated after a Russian drone strike hit a depot storing weapons for Ukraine's military near a residential area.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the strike caused shells, mines and drones to detonate late on Friday, triggering a blast which damaged nearby properties including a "care home for elderly people and people with disabilities".
An investigation into the "terrible negligence on the part of those who stored explosive right next to people" has begun, he said.
Four children are among 42 people injured, according to regional head Tymur Tkachenko, with a rescue operation ongoing at the site in the Bucha district on Saturday.
"Criminal proceedings have been opened on charges of official negligence," Zelensky said.
The office of Ukraine's prosecutor general earlier said it was reviewing the "legality of the placement and storage of explosive objects and materials" near residential buildings in the village of Myla, to the west of the capital Kyiv.
It said the "actions of officials who made the relevant decisions" would also be investigated.
Russia's Ministry of Defence said in a statement that its forces had targeted "an ammunition depot" in Myla which stored "components and launch boosters for FP-1/FP-2 long-range unmanned aerial vehicles".
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Criminal investigation into official negligence will proceed.
Very likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Who authorized the storage of explosives at this specific location?
- What is the current status of the injured individuals?
