Russian drone attack on Ukrainian ammunition facility near Kyiv kills 38

A firefighter works at a site of a Russian drone attack. Reuters

Russia's escalating air campaign against Ukraine has struck another deadly blow near Kyiv, with the death toll from a drone attack on an ammunition facility rising to 38 as authorities continue to search for missing people. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the latest toll had risen to 38, while four people remained missing, according to Reuters. The strike on the facility in Myla, west of Kyiv, triggered a series of powerful secondary explosions after stored ammunition caught fire, sending shells and other debris into nearby residential areas. The attack has also raised questions over Ukraine's own ammunition-storage practices, with Zelenskiy criticising officials for keeping large quantities of explosives close to civilian neighbourhoods. The facility was being used to store a range of military supplies, including artillery shells, mines, drones and other ammunition. The initial Russian strike was followed by secondary blasts that continued to shake the area, damaging homes and scattering unexploded ammunition around civilian properties. The scale of the destruction prompted Ukrainian authorities to investigate whether negligence in ammunition storage contributed to the high civilian toll. Ukraine's defence ministry also ordered an audit of ammunition-storage sites across the country following the incident. The Myla blast is not the first deadly incident involving an ammunition facility near Kyiv in recent months. In July, an explosion at another such site in Vyshneve killed 10 people and damaged hundreds of homes, prompting renewed scrutiny of how military explosives are stored near civilian areas. The strike comes as Russia has intensified its aerial campaign against Kyiv and surrounding regions, using growing numbers of jet-powered drones alongside missiles and conventional attack drones. The barrage is putting further pressure on Ukraine's already stretched air-defence network. Zelenskyy said Russia had launched nearly 2,000 strike drones, more than 1,600 bombs and 31 missiles against Ukraine over the past week, targeting military, energy, logistics and industrial infrastructure. He further stated that Ukraine would respond to every Russian strike and crime, saying that the response would come.