At Least 37 dead, hundreds evacuated after Russian strike on Kyiv weapons depot
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A Russian drone attack on an ammunition storage facility near Kyiv's outskirts has left at least 37 people dead and nearly 400 evacuated, Ukrainian officials reported Saturday.
The strike, which occurred late Friday, triggered a massive chain of explosions as shells, mines, and drones detonated at the depot located near residential areas in the Bucha district, west of the Ukrainian capital, reports BBC.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the decision to place the ammunition depot so close to populated areas, calling it "absolutely unacceptable" and "terrible negligence." He confirmed that a criminal investigation has been launched into charges of official negligence.
"An ammunition depot storing explosive materials was positioned among residential buildings—this must never happen again," Zelensky said, adding that appropriate conclusions would be drawn from the incident.
Damage and Casualties
According to regional head Tymur Tkachenko, 42 people were injured in Friday night's explosion, including four children. Rescue operations continued at the site on Saturday.
The blast damaged nearby properties, including a care home for elderly and disabled residents. The Ukrainian prosecutor general's office stated it was reviewing the legality of storing explosive materials near residential buildings.
Pattern of Attacks
This marks the second ammunition depot strike near Kyiv in recent months. In July, a similar attack on a warehouse in Vyshneve killed nine people, injured dozens more, and damaged over 280 homes.
Zelensky noted that regulations clearly prohibit ammunition storage near residential areas, and those responsible for the decision would face consequences.
Wider Attacks
Ukrainian officials reported: A 14-year-old killed in a separate strike in the Boryspil district.
A two-year-old died after a Russian drone crashed in Obolonskyi.
Five people, including an 18-year-old girl, injured in strikes on Kyiv on Saturday morning.
Overall, five people killed across Ukraine in the past 24 hours.
Overnight, Russia also struck Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine's army reported, adding that it had shot down 233 Russian drones.
Russian Casualties
In Russia, local officials reported two killed and 25 injured in strikes on the Belgorod and Rostov regions over the past day. The Moscow-appointed governor of occupied Zaporizhzhia said four were injured when a Ukrainian strike hit a shopping center.
Economic Targets
Russian online retailer Ozon said a Ukrainian drone strike hit one of its logistics centers overnight, forcing it to suspend operations at a second facility and evacuate staff. Earlier this week, Ozon facilities in Krasnodar, Dagestan, Stavropol, and Adygea were also targeted, resulting in multiple injuries and damage.
Ukraine has intensified aerial strikes on Russian economic targets in recent months, including weekly attacks on Wildberries, the country's largest online retailer, which Kyiv claims supplies components to the Russian military—a claim Moscow denies.
