Zelenskyy demands accountability after weapons depot strike kills 27

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticised the placement of a weapons depot near civilian infrastructure after a Russian strike on a warehouse in the village of Mylia near Kyiv, saying those responsible should be held accountable.

“The strike hit a warehouse, followed by a detonation. Unfortunately, significant damage to surrounding infrastructure has been recorded: residential buildings, a boarding facility for elderly people and people with disabilities were damaged. As of now, 27 people are known to have been killed. One of those killed was Taras Didych, head of the Dmytrivka community. He was saving people. My condolences to his family and loved ones. Dozens of people were injured. More than 370 people have already been evacuated, and the evacuation continues,” Zelenskyy said.

More than 300 rescuers have been deployed to deal with the aftermath, he added, while criticising the decision to locate the weapons depot near residential buildings.

“Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi and Interior Minister Ivan Vyhovskyi reported. Those who allowed this to happen must necessarily be held accountable for their decisions. Investigators from the National Police and the Security Service of Ukraine are conducting a pre-trial investigation. Criminal proceedings have been opened under the article concerning official negligence. There are regulations: ammunition cannot be stored near residential buildings and other residential development. Appropriate conclusions will certainly be drawn,” Zelenskyy said.

Koretskyi had earlier described the incident as criminal negligence.

Zelenskyy also said Kyiv had come under continuous drone attacks overnight, while strikes were reported in Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kherson, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Donetsk and Chernihiv regions.

“There were more than 260 attack drones, as well as ‘Banderoli’,” Zelensky said, adding that “Ukraine cannot independently find solutions to protect against such strikes.”

Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had struck two logistics facilities in and around Kyiv, including the Fim Service centre in Chaiky, where components for Flamingo missiles were reportedly stored, and a logistics centre in Kalynivka used to distribute military supplies from Western countries.

By Tamilla Hasanova