Russian Official Accuses Kiev of Using Residential Areas for Military Storage

MOSCOW, August 31. /TASS/. Hundreds of Ukrainian military warehouses are located in the basements of residential buildings so that Kiev can use Ukrainians as human shields, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large for the crimes of the Kiev regime Rodion Miroshnik stated.

Earlier, Vladimir Zelensky acknowledged that a Ukrainian military ammunition depot in the village of Milaya in the Kiev region, where a major fire broke out followed by an explosion, was located in a residential area.

"Hundreds of military depots continue to be located in the basements of residential buildings and public facilities. Weapons continue to be transported in civilian trucks and alongside passenger trains," the diplomat wrote on his Telegram channel. Miroshnik called Zelensky’s remarks "the second instance in a month officially acknowledged by the Ukrainian side of military depots being located in a residential civilian area."

"In the village of Milaya near Kiev, just as in Vishnevoye, large stockpiles of missiles, drones, and other types of weapons were concentrated. In both cases, the population was used as a human shield. Why did Kiev admit this? Because against the backdrop of such a ‘fireworks display,’ it’s hard to deny anything - and, of course, because this is Kiev," Miroshnik noted. According to him, Zelensky only acknowledged the presence of residential buildings near military depots because "it's hard to deny it."

On August 29, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that it had carried out strikes against Ukrainian logistics centers and seaports used to support the Ukrainian armed forces. Among the targets was the Fire Point LLC ammunition depot in Milaya, which stored components and launch boosters for FP-1/FP-2 long-range drones.

According to Ukrainian media reports, a large-scale fire broke out at the site of the attack, causing secondary detonations. Footage from the scene showed nearby residential buildings. Traffic on the nearby M-06 Kiev-Chop highway was blocked until the morning of August 29.