Russian drone strike on Myla warehouse kills 37, sparks fires in Kyiv suburb
A Russian drone hit a warehouse near Kyiv storing ammunition, causing explosions that destroyed dozens of homes and killed at least 37 people, including many from a local care home.
A Russian jet-powered drone struck a warehouse in the village of Myla, west of Kyiv, on Friday night, igniting massive explosions that spread to nearby residential buildings. Ukrainian officials said the site stored shells, mines and other ammunition, and the blasts damaged more than 50 homes and forced the evacuation of over 370 residents.
Local authorities reported that 34 of the dead were residents of a care home for the elderly and disabled. "At about 8 p.m., the drone hit a warehouse somewhere and then the detonation began," village resident Oleksandr Vodolaz told reporters, adding that no one was aware of the weapons stored there.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the incident a "terrible situation" and blamed negligence for storing explosives near civilian dwellings, saying criminal proceedings had been opened. Prime Minister Serhii Kovalskyi warned that repeating such mistakes amounted to criminal negligence and demanded accountability for those responsible.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed the target contained components and launch boosters for long-range drones and also cited attacks on ports and missile-part warehouses in the Kyiv region. Ukrainian officials noted the growing use of Russian jet-powered drones, which they say outpace current defensive capabilities, and pledged to adapt their own drone defenses.
In response to the broader conflict, Kyiv announced plans to increase its own long-range drone operations, aiming for 1,000 launches daily, while Russian forces reported destroying 313 Ukrainian drones overnight.