At least 37 people were killed after a Russian drone strike on an ammunition depot in the Kyiv region triggered a massive explosion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.
The attack, which occurred late Friday in the village of Myla, also injured dozens of people and forced hundreds to evacuate as fires spread across the area.
Nearby infrastructure, including residential buildings and a facility for elderly people and those with disabilities, sustained significant damage, according to Zelenskiy.
The explosion occurred as Russian aerial attacks on Kyiv and the surrounding region entered their third consecutive day, disrupting daily life and causing further damage across the capital area.
Zelenskiy said the depot was a military facility storing artillery shells, mines, drones and other ammunition. He accused those responsible for storing explosives near residential areas of serious negligence and vowed that those responsible would be held accountable.
“This is another such crime after what happened in Vyshneve,” Zelenskiy said, referring to a similar incident in the Kyiv region last month in which 10 people were killed and hundreds of homes were damaged after a Russian strike triggered secondary explosions.
Ukrainian authorities have opened criminal investigations over alleged official negligence, while the Defence Ministry has ordered those responsible for weapons storage to conduct comprehensive audits of storage locations.
The latest attack was reportedly among a wider wave of Russian strikes targeting Kyiv and at least nine other Ukrainian regions overnight.
Zelenskiy said Kyiv had come under virtually continuous attacks involving jet-powered drones, as Russia intensifies its aerial campaign against Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Air Force continued to warn of incoming drone waves on Saturday, with air raid sirens sounding across the capital throughout the morning and afternoon.
Kyiv region governor Tymur Tkachenko said a 14-year-old girl was killed during a morning drone strike in Boryspil district. In Kyiv itself, Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that a two-year-old girl was killed by a downed drone.
The latest strikes have also damaged residential buildings and storage facilities operated by major retailers, with Ukrainian officials accusing Russia of seeking to disrupt normal life in the capital, a city of several million people.
