Sawt Falasteen - Russian strike blows up arms depot near Kyiv, killing 37

AFP reporters saw plumes of black smoke pouring over the capital's western suburbs, while videos published by Ukraine's rescue services showed homes near the blast epicentre in flames.

The attack was the second to hit a munitions depot near Kyiv in less than two months, with officials expressing anger that arms were still being stored so close to residential areas.

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

"Those who allowed this to happen must be held accountable for their decisions... ammunition cannot be stored near homes or other residential areas," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on X.

The blast forced hundreds to evacuate and damaged multiple homes, including a care facility for elderly and disabled people, he added.

At least 37 people were killed, among them the mayor of the nearby town of Dmytrivka, Kyiv region governor Tymur Tkachenko said on Telegram.

Residents in the area told AFP the explosion was "terrifying".

"We thought we were being bombed. No one knew it was a detonation," said Yana Doneli, resident of a nearby town.

The depot was owned by the Ukrainian military and stored drones, shells and other munitions, Zelensky said in a video address.

Zelensky blamed the incident on "horrific negligence", saying ammunition should not have been stored there.

- 'Criminal negligence' -

Ukrainian prosecutors said they had opened an investigation into criminal negligence.

"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.

Myla is a small town on the outskirts of western Kyiv.

"A large-scale fire broke out on the enterprise's grounds, and detonation began," prosecutors 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 regarding 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 on Ukraine killed three people on Saturday, including a two-year-old infant in Kyiv and a 14-year-old girl in the capital's outer suburbs, 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 on an unannounced trip, amid escalating tensions in the four-and-a-half-year war.

C.AbuSway--SF-PST