Sawt Falasteen - At least 27 dead after Russian strike on depot near Kyiv

The depot appeared to have been storing "explosive objects", Ukrainian prosecutors said, as President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested ammunition was to blame.

"Those who allowed this to happen must be held accountable for their decisions... ammunition cannot be stored near homes or other residential areas," he wrote on X.

Both Russia and Ukraine have intensified long-range strikes on each other in recent months, sparking fires and sending civilian casualties to their highest since Moscow invaded in 2022.

AFP reporters saw a huge column of black smoke pouring over the capital's western suburbs, as officials reported hundreds had been evacuated from the area.

The blast damaged surrounding residential areas, as well as a care home for the elderly and disabled people, Zelensky said.

"As of now, 27 people have been reported killed. One of those killed was the head of the Dmytrivka community, Taras Didych. He was rescuing people," he added.

The depot was located in the town of Myla, on Kyiv's western outskirts.

Officials did not say whether it was a military or civilian enterprise.

- 'Criminal negligence' -

Ukrainian prosecutors said they had opened an investigation.

"On 28 August at around 8:10 pm (1710 GMT), an unmanned aerial vehicle... fell on or struck the grounds of an enterprise in the town of Myla," the office of Ukraine's prosecutor general said.

"A large-scale fire broke out on the enterprise's grounds, and detonation began," it added.

The prosecutor's office said that its investigation would focus on "the legality of the... storage of explosive objects and materials on the enterprise's grounds", as well as whether the owner, whom it did not name, had the "necessary permits and approvals".

Ukrainian Prime Minister Sergiy Koretsky expressed regret that a "lesson" had not been learned following a previous deadly strike on a munitions depot near Kyiv in July.

That investigation revealed serious failings on the part of a state-owned company, which did not comply with regulations about the proximity of residential buildings.

"In the fifth year of the full-scale invasion, making the same mistakes over and over is criminal negligence," he said on Telegram.

"Everyone responsible, without exception, must face severe punishment so that such situations never happen again."

- Ozon warehouse hit -

Russia launched at least two missiles and 267 drones at Ukraine between late Friday and early Saturday, according to the Ukrainian air force.

In addition to the depot strike, Russian attacks early Saturday killed one person in the southern Odesa region and a 14-year-old girl in the Kyiv suburb of Boryspil, regional officials said.

In Russia, Ukrainian strikes killed three people in the Belgorod region and caused a fire at a warehouse belonging to Russian retailer Ozon, officials said.

A strike on the city of Sevastopol in Crimea killed one person, according to Sevastopol's Russian-installed governor.

US-led diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, Europe's deadliest since World War II, have been at a standstill for months.

Russia has demanded sweeping territorial and political concessions from Ukraine, which Kyiv has ruled out as tantamount to capitulation.

Earlier this week, US Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow for an unannounced visit, amid escalating tensions in the four-and-a-half-year war.

M.AlAhmad--SF-PST