MYLA, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian drone struck a warehouse west of Kyiv, which Ukrainian officials allege may have been illegally storing munitions. The attack, which occurred on the night of August 28, 2026, resulted in explosions and fires that damaged numerous nearby homes and buildings, leading to the deaths of 37 individuals, marking it as one of the deadliest attacks of the year.
The drone hit the warehouse in Myla, a village located in the Bucha district, during a period of intensified Russian strikes that have disrupted life in and around the Ukrainian capital. Kyiv officials reported that an unmanned vehicle targeted the building, although it was not specified if it was one of the jet-powered drones that Russia has been increasingly deploying.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of the local regional military administration, stated that the strike ignited a fire that affected at least 50 residential buildings. Reports indicated that 34 of the deceased were residents of a care home for the elderly and disabled, with over 370 individuals evacuated from the area.
Local resident Oleksandr Vodolaz described the sequence of events, stating, "At about 8 p.m., the drone hit a warehouse somewhere and then the detonation began. No one knew that weapons were stored there."
The number of fatalities exceeded the 31 deaths recorded in a July 2 attack on Kyiv, which had previously been the deadliest incident of 2026. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy characterized the situation as a "terrible situation" and attributed it to negligence regarding the storage of explosives near civilian populations.
Zelenskyy noted that Ukrainian law prohibits the storage of ammunition close to residential areas and announced that criminal proceedings have been initiated. He emphasized the need for accountability among those responsible for the incident.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi also commented on the warehouse incident, drawing parallels to a previous attack in the Kyiv suburb of Vyshneve, which resulted in 22 fatalities. He criticized the recurrence of such tragedies as a failure to learn from past mistakes.
In a statement, Russia's Defense Ministry claimed responsibility for targeting a warehouse in Myla that was allegedly storing components and launch boosters for long-range drones. They also reported attacks on the ports of Mykolaiv and Izmail, as well as a logistics center in the Kyiv region.
Following the warehouse strike, Russian strikes continued to impact the southern Kherson region, resulting in two deaths and 27 injuries, including a child. Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the region's administration, indicated that Russia had intensified its attacks on critical infrastructure and urged residents to relocate to safer areas due to potential power and heating outages during the winter.
Pavlo Palisa, deputy head of Ukraine's presidential office, noted the increasing effectiveness of jet-powered drones and the need for Ukraine to adapt its defense strategies. He acknowledged that current interceptor drones have not yet met expectations in countering these threats.
In recent months, Ukraine has escalated its long-range attacks on Russian military and energy facilities, aiming to disrupt Moscow's war funding. President Zelenskyy expressed a goal to increase Ukraine's long-range drone launches to 1,000 per day, up from the current average of over 300.
Moscow's forces reported the destruction of 313 Ukrainian drones overnight, while Ukrainian drone attacks resulted in injuries to 11 individuals in Russia's Rostov region, according to Governor Yuri Slyusar.
This report was contributed by Katie Marie Davies and Volodymyr Yurchuk from the Associated Press.