The death toll resulting from a Russian attack on a warehouse located west of Kyiv, marked as the most fatal incident in the ongoing conflict this year, has reached 38 individuals, with four still unaccounted for, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s announcement on social media on Sunday. The strike occurred on Friday evening at the warehouse, identified as an ammunition storage site by Ukrainian authorities. This event triggered substantial explosions and fires that engulfed numerous nearby residences and structures.
Efforts by emergency personnel to extinguish fires and detect and disarm explosive devices at the site in the village of Myla are ongoing, as stated by Zelenskyy. He reported that 20 individuals sustained injuries, including two children. Zelenskyy characterized the Myla attack as a grave situation and attributed it to severe negligence on the part of those who stored explosives in close proximity to civilians. A thorough investigation is currently in progress to determine the circumstances leading to the placement of ammunition at that location.
Russia’s Defense Ministry announced its intentions on Sunday to launch “massive strikes” against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in response to a recent Ukrainian drone campaign targeting a retailer known as “Russia’s Amazon” and the nation’s oil and gas sector. Kyiv alleges that these sectors not only financially support but also directly fuel Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov pledged an “appropriate response” to what he labeled Ukraine’s “escalatory path” and its impact on Russia’s civilian economy.
In recent months, Ukraine has conducted lethal strikes on the installations of Russia’s largest online retailer, Wildberries, citing the sale of dual-use goods aiding the Kremlin’s war efforts. Ukrainian drones have also targeted Russian oil refineries and other energy facilities, leading to an unprecedented fuel crisis in a country renowned as one of the world’s primary energy producers.
Ukraine’s new Defense Minister, Yevhen Khmara, addressed the significant funding shortfall inherited from his predecessor, outlining various strategies to bridge the multibillion-dollar gap, including seeking additional contributions from allies. During his initial briefing with reporters since assuming office on Saturday, Khmara emphasized the importance of averting shortages on the battlefield while ensuring soldiers receive their payments and essential requirements are met.
Additionally, on Sunday, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported neutralizing nearly 500 Ukrainian drones launched overnight, while independent sources claimed these drone attacks ignited a major oil refinery in Kirishi, southeast of St. Petersburg. The facility, Kirishi Petroleum Organic Synthesis, represents one of Russia’s primary oil refineries and the sole one in the country’s northwest. Local authorities reported a fire in Kirishi’s industrial zone following the drone strikes, with 62 drones reportedly downed in the vicinity.
Moreover, Russian strikes in Kyiv on Saturday resulted in casualties, including a two-year-old girl, as reported by Mayor Vitali Klitschko. In eastern Ukraine’s village of Bilbasovka, a 13-year-old and an adult were killed after Russian bombings targeted private residences, according to local official Vadim Lyakh. Additionally, a Ukrainian strike on a mine in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine caused the death of a female employee, confirmed by Kremlin-appointed regional leader Leonid Pasechnik, with five others injured across the province. In border regions of Kursk and Belgorod in Russia, Ukrainian drone strikes injured at least four individuals on the same day, according to local authorities.