At least 37 people were killed when a Russian drone struck a warehouse containing explosives on the western outskirts of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv causing a massive fire and successive explosions. Ukrainian prosecutors have decided to open an investigation into suspected criminal negligence.
“Unfortunately, the death toll in the Pocha region has risen to 37 people… Rescue teams and all relevant parties are continuing their operations at the disaster site,” said Timur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv military administration, via Telegram.
Zelensky wrote in a post on the X platform, “Those who allowed this to happen must be held accountable for their decisions… Ammunition cannot be stored near homes or residential areas.”
He said the explosion damaged residential areas surrounding the site, as well as a nursing home for the elderly and disabled.
For several months, Russia and Ukraine have been exchanging intensive long-range strikes , increasingly targeting civilian infrastructure such as logistics depots, oil facilities and ports.
These attacks are causing increasing numbers of civilian casualties in the village of Myla in the Pocha region, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office opened an investigation on charges of "negligence" regarding the conditions of goods storage at the warehouse site.
Timur Tkachenko, the head of the military administration in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, that a fire had broken out and was “accompanied by explosions.”
He added, “More than 200 people, including children, have been evacuated from the site,” adding that at least six people were injured.
The prosecutor's office explained that the investigation will focus on "the legality of... storing explosive materials and projectiles on the facility's premises," as well as whether the unnamed company possesses "the necessary permits and approvals."
Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Korytsky expressed regret that "lessons" had not been learned after a previous deadly attack in July in Vyshnev, near Kyiv, which targeted an ammunition depot.
The previous investigation revealed serious failures on the part of the state-owned company, which did not adhere to standards, despite the site's proximity to residential buildings.
“In the fifth year of the invasion, repeatedly making the same mistakes is criminal negligence,” Koretzky said via Telegram.
He added, “All officials, without exception, must face severe penalties to ensure that such situations never happen again.”
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