LAST UPDATE | 2 hrs ago

Since last evening, efforts have been underway in the village of Myla near Kyiv to deal with the aftermath of a Russian drone strike. On-site coordination centers have been set up to assist people. All necessary services are deployed. State Emergency Service units are on the… pic.twitter.com/mQU2DHZYU7

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 29, 2026

AT LEAST 37 people have been killed after a Russian drone struck a warehouse near Kyiv, sparking a huge fire and explosions. 

The warehouse in the village of Myla, around 35km west of the Ukrainian capital, was struck at around 8.10pm local time (6.10pm Irish time) on Friday.

Russia and Ukraine have intensified long-range strikes on each other in recent months, sparking fires and sending civilian casualties to record levels.

“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,” Kyiv region governor Tymur Tkachenko said on Telegram.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the depot was owned by the Ukrainian military and stored shells, drones, and other munitions.

“The first impact was on a place where ammunition was being stored that absolutely should not have been there – a depot of the Defence Forces. Detonation of shells, mines, other munitions, and drones. On a significant scale,” he said in a video address.

Since yesterday evening and throughout the day today, I have been receiving reports on the situation in the village of Myla, Kyiv region, where detonation began following a Russian strike. A terrible situation and terrible negligence on the part of those who stored explosives… pic.twitter.com/YyRpBxQ8Kz

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 29, 2026

Ukrainian prosecutors have opened an investigation into criminal negligence.

The prosecutor’s office specified that its 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, which was not named, had the “necessary permits and approvals”.

Zelenskyy said the country’s Prosecutor General, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Security Service of Ukraine and the army’s commander-in-chief “have everything necessary for the investigation”.

The Ukrainian army said in a statement that sitting depots holding explosives next to civilians “is unacceptable”. 

“The heads of all relevant components of the Security and Defence Forces and of Ukraine’s defence industry must carry out a full audit of the sites where weapons and ammunition are stored. Facilities of this kind must not stand next to residential buildings where people live.”

In a post on X, Zelenskyy said dozens of people were injured in the blast, with over 370 people evacuated so far and more than 300 emergency personnel are on the ground.

“A warehouse was struck, followed by a detonation. Unfortunately, the surrounding infrastructure has suffered significant damage – residential buildings, as well as a care home for elderly people and people with disabilities, have been damaged,” he said.

“Those who allowed this to happen must be held accountable for their decisions.”

Firefighters try to extinguish a fire at a destroyed warehouse after Russian drone attacks on the outskirts of Kyiv. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Zelenskyy also said that ammunition should not be stockpiled near homes. 

“There are regulations in place – ammunition cannot be stored near homes or other residential areas. Appropriate conclusions will certainly be drawn.”

Ukrainian Prime Minister Sergiy Koretsky 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 the state-owned company, which did not comply with standards despite the proximity of residential buildings.

“In the fifth year of the full-scale invasion, making the same mistakes over and over is criminal negligence,” he said on Telegram.

“Everyone responsible, without exception, must face severe punishment so that such situations never happen again.”

Separate strikes

Zelenskyy said there were 260 drone strikes on a number of other Ukrainian regions overnight, including Odesa, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kherson and Kharkiv, adding that Kyiv “is under virtually nonstop attack from jet-powered drones”.

One person was killed in the southern Odesa region and a 14-year-old girl in the Kyiv suburb of Boryspil, regional officials said.

“Ukraine cannot be left alone in finding solutions to defend against such strikes, and I thank everyone who is helping with additional support packages and sanctions steps against Russia,” Zelenskyy said.

In Russia, Ukrainian strikes killed three people in the Belgorod region and caused a fire at a warehouse belonging to Russian retailer Ozon, officials said.

A strike on the city of Sevastopol in Crimea killed one person, according to Sevastopol’s Russian-installed governor.

US-led diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have been at a standstill for months.

Russia has demanded sweeping territorial and political concessions from Ukraine, which Kyiv has ruled out as tantamount to capitulation.

Earlier this week, US Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow for an unannounced visit, amid escalating tensions in the four-and-a-half-year war.