Russian Strike On Ukrainian Ammo Depot Kills 38 Near Kyiv – A Russian drone strike on a Ukrainian ammunition depot west of Kyiv has killed at least 38 people after stored shells, mines, drones and other explosives detonated. The strike became the deadliest overnight Russian attack so far this year.
The strike took place late on Friday, August 28, in the village of Myla in Kyiv Oblast’s Bucha district. On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that another 20 people were injured, including two children, while four people were still missing. Emergency crews were still clearing unexploded ordnance from the area more than a day after the first strike.
Iskander-M. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Zelenskyy and Ukrainian officials are now publicly questioning the reasoning behind storing ammunition so close to residential buildings, and authorities have announced that legal proceedings have begun, with a criminal investigation underway and the Defense Ministry ordering an audit of weapons and ammunition storage facilities across the country.
Drone Strike Triggers Secondary Explosions
The first attack began at roughly 8:10 pm local time when a Russian drone struck the facility in Myla, to the west of Kyiv, and along the Kyiv-Chop highway.
According to Ukrainian authorities, the depot contained artillery shells, mines, drones and other ammunition. The resulting fire caused repeated secondary explosions that continued for hours, spreading destruction well beyond the warehouse itself. Hundreds of emergency personnel were eventually deployed to the area, while 381 people, including 59 children, were evacuated. At least 130 residential buildings were damaged, according to local authorities, along with a facility caring for elderly people and people with disabilities.
Among those who were killed was Taras Didyich, the head of the Dmytrivka community that includes Myla. And among the first people to respond to the emergency was Kyiv Oblast Governor Tymur Tkachenko.
The death toll was initially reported to be 37, but on Sunday, President Zelenskyy confirmed that the number had risen to 38.
Zelenskyy Blames Negligence
Immediately after the strike, President Zelenskyy attributed the deaths to negligence.
“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 right next to people,” he said in a written and video statement shared online.
“Another such crime – after what happened in Vyshneve – is absolutely unacceptable. I expect the details to be presented to the public promptly. The first strike was on an ammunition storage site that definitely shouldn’t have been there – a Defense Forces storage facility. Shells, mines, other ammunition, and drones detonated. The scale is significant,” he continued.
Zelenskyy provided further details in a series of follow-up statements that came amid continuing Russian strikes on Ukrainian targets that continued into the morning and afternoon.
“The scale of contamination in the area is significant, and this work will continue for as long as necessary. Tragically, 38 people have been reported killed by the strike and the subsequent detonation. My condolences to their families and loved ones. Twenty people were injured, including two children. Four people are reported missing. The search for them continues. I am grateful to all the services that remain there with our people and continue to help,” Zelenskyy then said in a statement on Sunday.
Ukraine Has Seen This Happen Before
Zelenskyy’s reference to Vyshneve points to a prior incident that has made the circumstances surrounding these most recent deaths even harder for Ukrainian authorities to explain.
On July 6, a Russian strike hit an ammunition warehouse in Vyshneve – another community on the western outskirts of Kyiv. The attack triggered secondary explosions at the facility, just as it did in this recent strike, but that time it killed 10 people and damaged hundreds of homes in the surrounding area. Ukrainian investigators subsequently found that ammunition had been stored in warehouses close to residential buildings despite the facilities not being designed or authorized for that purpose.
The Security Service of Ukraine later detained the head of the defense enterprise responsible for the site and his deputy as part of an investigation into the disaster.
Following this week’s incident, Zelenskyy has said that ammunition storage regulations must be followed to prevent similar deaths, and has insisted that explosives must not be kept near homes or any other residential buildings.
A review has been ordered by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, with Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal instructing officials across the domestic defense industry and military command to audit locations where weapons and ammunition are being stored to ensure full compliance with existing safety regulations. The investigation into Myla, then, will extend across the whole country and go beyond determining how Russian drones reached the target. Ukrainian authorities are now working to establish exactly why such a large quantity of explosive material was being kept near civilians less than two months after the Vyshneve incident.
About the Author: Jack Buckby
Jack Buckby is a British researcher and analyst specializing in defense and national security, based in New York. His work focuses on military capability, procurement, and strategic competition, producing and editing analysis for policy and defense audiences. He brings extensive editorial experience, with a career output spanning over 1,000 articles at National Security Journal, and has previously authored books and papers on extremism and deradicalization.
