Russian drone strike on warehouse near Kyiv kills at least 27

At least 27 people have been killed in a Russian drone attack on a warehouse in Bucha district, on the outskirts of Kyiv, according to local officials.

Kyiv regional governor Tymur Tkachenko said on Telegram that 42 people were injured and more than 380 had been evacuated from the affected area. He also confirmed that among the dead was Taras Didych, the mayor of Dmytrivska village.

"Unfortunately, as of now, 27 people are confirmed dead. This figure may not be final," Tkachenko said on Saturday.

The attack occurred early Saturday when a Russian drone struck a warehouse believed to contain explosive materials on the western outskirts of Kyiv, causing large explosions and a spreading fire. According to Governor Tkachenko, at least 50 residential buildings were damaged, and flames spread to nearby homes and a restaurant.

Ukraine's prosecutor's office said it was launching a criminal negligence investigation, focusing on "the legality of storing explosive objects and materials on the enterprise premises" and whether the responsible company (unnamed) had the "necessary permits and approvals."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that a warehouse in Myla village was hit and "subsequently exploded." He did not provide location details but said criminal proceedings would be initiated. "There are rules – ammunition cannot be stored near housing or residential areas," Zelenskyy stressed.

Regional chief Sergii Koretskyi lamented that the "lesson" from a previous deadly attack in July on an ammunition depot in Vyshneve, near Kyiv, had not been learned. The investigation into that incident had uncovered serious violations by a state-owned company that failed to comply with standards for storing ammunition away from residential areas.

"In the fifth year of the full-scale invasion, repeating the same mistakes is criminal negligence. All those responsible, without exception, must face severe punishment so that situations like this never happen again," Koretskyi wrote on Telegram.

According to Ukraine's Air Force, Russia launched at least two missiles and 267 drones at Ukraine between Friday evening and early Saturday. In addition to the warehouse attack, Russian strikes on Saturday morning also killed one person in the Odesa region in the south and a 14-year-old girl in Boryspil, on the outskirts of Kyiv.

On the Russian side, at least three people were killed and nine injured in a Ukrainian drone attack in the Belgorod region, with three of the injured in critical condition. Moscow-appointed governor of Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula, Mikhail Razvozhayev, also reported one person killed and three others injured in a Ukrainian drone strike on the city.

In recent months, both Russia and Ukraine have escalated long-range attacks, increasingly targeting civilian infrastructure such as logistics depots, oil ports, and seaports, leading to a rise in civilian casualties.