The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, informed on social media that the death toll from a Russian strike on a warehouse west of Kyiv, marked as the deadliest attack this year, has reached 38 people with four individuals still unaccounted for. The strike, which occurred on Friday night on an ammunition storage facility, resulted in significant explosions and fires that spread to numerous nearby homes and structures.
Efforts by emergency personnel are ongoing to extinguish fires and locate and deactivate explosive devices at the site in the village of Myla, as stated by Zelenskyy. He mentioned that 20 individuals sustained injuries, including two children.
Zelenskyy labeled the Myla attack as a “terrible situation” and attributed it to “terrible negligence by those who stored explosives in close proximity to civilians.” An investigation is underway to determine the circumstances leading to the storage of ammunition at that location.
In a separate development, Russia’s Defence Ministry announced its plans to carry out “massive strikes” against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in response to a Ukrainian drone campaign targeting a major retailer known as “Russia’s Amazon” and the nation’s oil and gas sector, which Kyiv alleges supports and fuels Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov promised “an appropriate response” to what he described as Ukraine’s “escalation path” and its targeting of Russia’s civilian economy.
Ukraine recently conducted lethal strikes on the facilities of Russia’s largest online retailer, Wildberries, accusing the company of selling dual-use goods that aid the Kremlin’s military operations. Ukrainian drones have also targeted Russian oil refineries and energy infrastructure, leading to a severe fuel shortage in a country that is a significant energy producer.
In a bid to address the significant funding gap inherited from his predecessor, Ukraine’s new Defence Minister, Yevhen Khmara, outlined various options, including seeking additional contributions from partners. Khmara, a former special forces officer turned civilian minister, emphasized the need to prevent shortages on the battlefield, ensure soldiers receive payment, and meet other essential requirements.
Additionally, the Russian Defence Ministry reported downing or neutralizing almost 500 Ukrainian drones launched overnight. Unconfirmed reports from independent news channels suggested that drone strikes ignited a major oil refinery in Kirishi, leading to a fire. Local authorities reported that 62 drones were shot down in the region.
Furthermore, Russian strikes in Kyiv resulted in casualties, including a two-year-old girl and injured individuals. In eastern Ukraine, Russian troops were responsible for dropping bombs on private residences, resulting in the deaths of a 13-year-old child and an adult. A Ukrainian strike on a mine in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine led to the death of a female employee and injuries to five others across the province. In retaliation, Ukrainian drone strikes in Russia injured at least four individuals in border regions.