Russian attack on warehouse near Ukraine’s Kyiv kills at least 37

Zelenskyy says a warehouse was struck outside Kyiv, ‘followed by a detonation’, causing a major fire and explosions.

At least 37 people have been killed after an overnight Russian drone attack on a munitions warehouse near Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, officials said.

“Unfortunately, the number of dead in the Bucha district has risen to 37… Rescuers and all relevant services are continuing their operations at the scene of the tragedy,” said Kyiv region governor, Tymur Tkachenko, on Telegram on Saturday.

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Huge explosions followed the attack on the warehouse storing munitions in the town of Myla, near Kyiv’s western suburbs, authorities said on Saturday.

Tkachenko said that at least 50 residential buildings had been damaged in the attack, which caused a large-scale fire that spread to homes and a restaurant. Close to 400 people ⁠⁠were ⁠⁠being evacuated from the strike area. Dozens of injuries were reported. Among the dead was Taras Didych, mayor of the village of Dmytrivska, Tkachenko added.

The warehouse appeared to have been storing “explosive objects”, according to Ukrainian prosecutors, who said they are opening an investigation into criminal negligence. The investigation would focus on “the legality of the storage of explosive objects and materials on the enterprise’s grounds”, as well as whether the company responsible, which was not named, had the “necessary permits and approvals”.

The large cloud of smoke following the Russian drone attack, August 29, 2026 [AFP]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the attack was “followed by a detonation”. He did not give details about the site, but confirmed that criminal proceedings would follow. “There are regulations in place – ammunition cannot be stored near homes or other residential areas,” Zelenskyy’s statement said.

Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi expressed regret that a “lesson” had not been learned after a previous deadly attack in July in Vyshneve, near Kyiv, on a munitions depot. That investigation revealed serious failings on the part of a state-owned company, which did not comply with standards to store ammunition well away from residential buildings.

“In the fifth year of the full-scale invasion, making the same mistakes over and over is criminal negligence,” Koretskyi said on Telegram. “Everyone responsible, without exception, must face severe punishment so that such situations never happen again.”

Russia launched at least two missiles and 267 drones at Ukraine between late Friday and early Saturday, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.

In addition to the warehouse strike, Russian attacks early on Saturday killed three people, including a two-year-old in Kyiv and a 14-year-old girl in the capital’s outer suburbs, officials said.

In Russia, at least three people were killed and ⁠⁠nine wounded in a Ukrainian ‌‌drone attack in the Belgorod region, local authorities ⁠⁠said on Telegram. Three of ⁠⁠the injured ⁠⁠are in serious condition, authorities added.

Another person was killed and three ⁠⁠others were injured in a ‌‌Ukrainian drone attack in Russian-annexed Sevastopol, on the ⁠⁠Crimean Peninsula, ⁠⁠said Mikhail Razvozhayev, the city’s ⁠⁠Russian-appointed governor.

Both Russia and Ukraine have intensified long-range strikes on each other in recent months, increasingly targeting civilian infrastructure, such as logistics warehouses and oil and port facilities, causing civilian casualties to soar.