Russian Strike on Kyiv-Area Ammunition Depot Kills 37, Sparks Negligence Probe

A Russian drone strike on an ammunition storage facility near the Ukrainian capital killed at least 37 people and wounded 42 others late Friday, triggering hours of secondary explosions that shook villages west of Kyiv and forced hundreds of evacuations. The attack has also opened a criminal investigation into whether Ukrainian officials broke their own laws by allowing ammunition to be stored beside residential neighborhoods.

The strike hit a facility in the village of Myla, about three miles west of Kyiv along the Kyiv-Chop highway, at roughly 8:10 p.m. local time on Aug. 28. A large fire broke out immediately, followed by waves of ammunition detonations that continued for hours.

Waves of Blasts Rock Villages West of Kyiv

Residents described walls shaking and windows blowing out as the explosions intensified through the night. One witness, a veterinarian at a clinic in Myla, said her team was preparing for emergency surgery when the first blasts erupted and staff rushed to a shelter on the hospital grounds. The clinic was heavily damaged inside, though no staff or patients were injured.

Kyiv Oblast Governor Tymur Tkachenko said the casualty toll could still rise as search-and-rescue operations continued through the morning of Aug. 29. More than 300 emergency workers were involved in the response, and crews were still extinguishing fires as of late morning.

At least 50 residential buildings were damaged in the attack and the resulting detonations, along with a care facility for elderly people and people with disabilities. A total of 381 people, including 59 children, were evacuated from the area following the strike.

Community Leader Among the Dead

Among those killed was Taras Didych, head of the Dmytrivka community, which includes the village of Myla. Didych was among the first responders to reach the scene when he was killed. His death has resonated across the region, where local leaders have repeatedly warned about the dangers of storing munitions near homes.

Kyiv Oblast has declared Aug. 30 a day of mourning for the victims of the attack.

Criminal Probe Opened Into Official Negligence

The scale of the destruction has turned scrutiny on Ukrainian officials themselves. President Volodymyr Zelensky said those who allowed the situation to develop must be held accountable for their decisions, noting that regulations prohibit storing ammunition near houses or other residential buildings.

Ukraine's National Police and Security Service have opened criminal proceedings over alleged official negligence, and Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi called for a swift investigation and severe punishment for anyone at fault. On the fifth year of the full-scale invasion, he said, repeating the same mistakes amounts to criminal negligence.

The attack echoes a similar disaster in July, when a Russian strike on ammunition stored at a state-owned defense facility in the village of Vyshneve killed eight people and injured 29. Following that incident, two officials at the state defense conglomerate Ukroboronprom were dismissed after investigators found the storage location violated the law.

What Happens Next

The investigation will determine whether officials responsible for the Myla storage site face consequences similar to those that followed the Vyshneve disaster. For residents, the immediate concern remains the danger of unexploded ordnance and unstable stockpiles scattered across the blast zone.

The attack comes as the Trump administration continues pressing both sides toward a negotiated end to a conflict now in its fifth year. The administration has made clear it wants a durable settlement rather than a frozen line of contact, and events like this underscore the human cost of continued fighting.

Search and recovery work in Myla is expected to continue for days, and the official death toll is likely to climb.