Russian drone strike on warehouse near Kyiv kills at least 37
A Russian drone strike on a warehouse in the Bucha district near Kyiv killed at least 37 people and injured 42, including children. The blast damaged over 50 residential buildings and a care home, sparking a massive fire.
A Russian drone strike on a warehouse in the Bucha district near Kyiv has killed at least 37 people, according to the regional governor, Tymur Tkachenko. The attack, which targeted a business apparently storing “explosive objects”, also injured 42 people, including four children, and sparked a huge fire that damaged more than 50 residential buildings.
The blast, which occurred in the village of Myla on the western outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, caused extensive destruction across the area. Among the damaged structures is a care home for elderly and disabled people, raising concerns about the vulnerability of civilian infrastructure in the region. Emergency services have been working to contain the fire and search through the debris for additional victims.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed punishment for those responsible for the attack, reiterating his commitment to hold Russian forces accountable for strikes on civilian areas. The warehouse, which Ukrainian leadership statements suggested may have been storing military hardware, became the epicentre of a massive explosion that sent shockwaves through nearby communities.
The strike is one of the deadliest single attacks in the Kyiv region in recent months, underscoring the continued threat posed by Russian drone operations despite ongoing diplomatic efforts. The Bucha district, which gained international notoriety earlier in the war for alleged atrocities against civilians, has once again become a focal point of the conflict's human toll.
Local authorities have reported that hundreds of residents were evacuated from the affected area as a precautionary measure following the initial blast. The full extent of the damage is still being assessed, with rescue teams continuing their search operations into the night. The injured have been transported to nearby hospitals, where medical staff are treating victims for a range of injuries, including burns and trauma.
The attack has drawn condemnation from international observers, who point to the pattern of Russian strikes targeting infrastructure away from the front lines. The warehouse blast also raises questions about the storage of hazardous materials in populated areas, a practice that amplifies the destructive impact of such attacks on civilian populations.
As the investigation into the strike continues, Ukrainian officials have called on Western allies to provide additional air defence systems to counter the ongoing drone threat. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the war's enduring impact on ordinary citizens, with residential neighbourhoods bearing the brunt of military operations far from the battlefield.
