Russian drone strike on Bucha ammo depot kills at least 37 and prompts negligence probe
An overnight Russian drone attack hit an ammunition depot in the Bucha district near Kyiv, killing at least 37 people and triggering secondary detonations in a residential area.
Overnight strike on ammunition facility
A Russian overnight drone attack struck a warehouse in the village of Mila, located within the Bucha district west of Kyiv. The direct hit detonated large quantities of military supplies, including artillery shells, landmines, unmanned aerial vehicles, and explosives. The explosion generated secondary blasts with flames projecting in multiple directions, creating a continuous fire that burned into Saturday. A dense column of black smoke rose above the western suburbs of the capital while emergency response crews worked to contain the blaze, inspect the perimeter, and clear rubble from collapsed structures.
- Kyiv records 13 air raid alerts in a 24-hour period.
- Russian drone hits military warehouse in Mila, triggering secondary explosions.
- Governor Tkachenko confirms 27 deaths as 381 residents are evacuated.
- Death toll reaches 37 as prosecutors launch a criminal negligence investigation.
Death toll and local evacuations
Kyiv regional governor Timur Tkachenko announced on Saturday that the death toll from the strike increased to at least 37, revising an earlier morning figure of 27 fatalities. Among those killed was the mayor of the adjacent village of Dmytrivka. Tkachenko noted that the casualty count could rise further as search and rescue teams continue clearing wreckage and combing the site. Regional authorities reported that 42 other people suffered injuries, including four children. The explosions caused structural damage to approximately 50 buildings in the surrounding area, prompting emergency teams to evacuate 381 local residents, including 59 children.
- Evacuated residents
- 381 people
- Injured
- 42 people
- Dead
- 37 people
Scrutiny over military storage in residential areas
The location of the military depot in an inhabited settlement drew immediate domestic criticism. Ukrainian authorities do not typically comment on damage sustained by military installations, but prosecutors confirmed the presence of explosive materials at the site and opened an official investigation into criminal negligence. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the incident across public channels, confirming that the armed forces facility held munitions that should not have been placed near residential quarters.
Those who allowed this to happen must be held accountable for their decisions (...) The regulations are clear: ammunition cannot be stored near homes or other residential areas.
Zelenskyy stated on Telegram that the explosion involved military shells, mines, and drones. He also noted on X that mandatory conclusions would follow the findings of the inquiry.
The initial impact targeted a site where ammunition was stored that should not have been there, a warehouse of the armed forces.
Ten regions targeted in nationwide drone wave
The strike on the Bucha district was part of an extensive nighttime assault involving more than 260 Russian unmanned aerial vehicles across Ukraine. Ukrainian air defense forces reported intercepting or neutralizing 233 Russian drones during the night of 29 August 2026, with incoming threats continuing toward Kyiv and its surrounding areas into the morning hours. Strikes and air alerts also occurred across nine other administrative regions, including Odesa, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kherson, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Donetsk, and Chernihiv. The attack follows an intensifying campaign against Ukrainian economic and logistical targets, including ports, postal hubs, shopping centres, and commercial warehouses. In Kyiv, air raid sirens sounded 13 times in 24 hours on 27 August, marking a daily high for the capital since the start of the full-scale invasion.
