Deadliest Russian strike on Kyiv region this year kills residents, damages homes and disrupts daily life
Residents look at a burned car at a site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv region, Ukraine August 1, 2026. REUTERS
At least 37 people were killed after a Russian drone attack on a Kyiv-area ammunition depot sparked a detonation, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday, vowing to punish suspected negligence in the second such incident in two months.
The deadliest Russian strike in the Kyiv area this year came as Moscow’s air attacks on the Ukrainian capital and surrounding region dragged into a third straight day, killing residents, damaging homes and derailing daily life.
Dozens were also injured and hundreds evacuated from the area of the strike late on Friday on the village of Myla, Zelenskiy said, where nearby infrastructure including residential buildings and a facility for the elderly and people with disabilities suffered “significant damage”.
The attack sparked widespread fires, officials said. Among those killed was the head of a neighbouring village who rushed to help.
“A terrible situation and terrible negligence on the part of those who stored explosives right next to people,” Zelenskiy said in a video address.
Second strike-related detonation in two months
The site of Friday’s blast was a military facility that held artillery shells, mines and drones, among other ammunition, he added.
Read: Russia hits steel plant in new strikes on Ukraine
t followed a similar incident in the Kyiv-area town of Vyshneve last month, when 10 people were killed and hundreds of houses damaged after a strike triggered secondary explosions.
“Another such crime – after what happened in Vyshneve – is absolutely unacceptable,” Zelenskiy said. “I expect the details to be presented to the public promptly.”
He added that criminal cases had already been opened on charges of official negligence. Ukrainian officials rarely disclose damage to military targets from Russian attacks.
In a statement on Saturday, Ukraine’s Defence Ministry said all those responsible for weapons storage should complete a full audit of their locations.
Drone swarms grip Kyiv for days
Nine other regions had been targeted in overnight strikes by Russia, Zelenskiy added, saying Kyiv in particular was under “virtually non-stop attack” from jet-powered drones.
Russia has escalated its air war on Ukraine with increasing numbers of elusive ballistic missiles and new high-speed drones, which Kyiv lacks the air defences to shoot down.
On Saturday, sirens blared throughout the morning and afternoon for a third straight day as Ukraine’s air force warned of new waves of drones approaching the capital.
The sound of air defences boomed across the sky.
Kyiv region governor Tymur Tkachenko said a 14-year-old girl was killed in a morning drone strike on the Boryspil district. In Kyiv, a 2-year-old girl was killed by a downed drone, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Saturday.
Strikes in and around the city on Thursday and Friday had damaged residential buildings and storage facilities belonging to major retailers, part of what some Ukrainian officials said was a campaign aimed at “paralysing” the city of several million.
offer my sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims,” he said, according to CNN.
Russia says overnight Ukrainian strikes hit Ozon logistics facility in Rostov region
Moscow said that overnight Ukrainian strikes hit a logistics facility of Russian online retailer Ozon in the southern Rostov region.
Rostov Governor Yuri Slyusar said on Telegram that his region came under attack overnight, and that seven people were injured, with one in critical condition, in Rostov-on-Don, the administrative centre of the southern Russian region.
Slyusar said that two apartment buildings in the regional capital were damaged due to the attack, while drone debris was found on the grounds of warehouse facilities in the region’s Aksaysky district.
Ozon announced that one of its logistics facilities in the Rostov region was attacked by a drone overnight, resulting in a small fire that was immediately extinguished.
Read more: Russia, Ukraine exchange overnight strikes, killing 3, injuring 10
“We have temporarily suspended operations at the facility so emergency services can inspect the area and ensure it is completely safe. We are not currently accepting deliveries from vendors here, and those in transit are being redirected to other facilities,” the company said.
It added that employees had been evacuated from a second logistics centre in the region due to the danger of strikes in the area. “The facility is intact, but operations have been suspended for now for safety reasons.”
Ukraine has intensified drone strikes on Russian logistics facilities in a campaign that began in mid-July and has spread across several Russian regions.
