KYIV, Ukraine — The death toll from a Russian strike on a warehouse west of Kyiv, the war’s deadliest attack so far this year, rose to 38 with four people still missing, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskysaid on social media Sunday.
The strike on Friday night on the warehouse — an ammunition storage facility according to Ukrainian officials — sparked massive explosions and fires that swept through dozens of nearby homes and buildings.
Emergency workers continued to extinguish fires and identify and neutralize explosive devices at the site in the village of Myla, Zelenskyadded. He said 20 people were injured, including two children.
On Saturday, Zelenskycalled the Myla attack “a terrible situation” and a consequence of “terrible negligence on the part of those who stored explosives right next to people.” He said a probe was underway into how and why the ammunition came to be kept there.
The attack comes as Russia has sharply intensified its air campaign in recent days, with air raid sirens sounding repeatedly across Kyiv and explosions and the rumble of air defenses punctuating the city throughout the day.
The escalation marks a notable shift in tactics, putting more pressure on Ukraine’s already strained air defenses while keeping civilians on alert for hours. Daytime attacks on the capital had been relatively rare previously.
Russia vows ‘massive strikes’
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Sunday that it is preparing to launch “massive strikes” against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, following a Ukrainian drone campaign against a retailer dubbed “Russia’s Amazon” as well as the country’s oil and gas sector, which Kyiv says both funds and directly fuels Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian ministry described the planned attacks as a response to Kyiv’s “ongoing attacks on Russia’s civilian infrastructure and fuel and energy sector.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Sunday vowed “an appropriate response” to what he said was Ukraine’s “path of escalation” and targeting of Russia’s civilian economy.
Peskov told Russian state media that Moscow has been launching “fairly systematic” strikes on what he called Kyiv’s military and war-related infrastructure.
Ukraine launched deadly strikes in recent months on the facilities of Russia’s biggest online retailer, Wildberries, saying the company sells dual-use goods that have aided the Kremlin’s war effort. Ukrainian drones have also pounded Russian oil refineries and other energy infrastructure, prompting an unprecedented fuel crisis in a country that is one of the world’s biggest energy producers.
During the war’s previous winters, Russia systematically battered Ukraine’s power grid, depriving thousands of heat and light in freezing temperatures. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly warned that the coming winter may prove the most challenging since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Also on Sunday, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces downed or neutralized almost 500 Ukrainian drones launched overnight.
Independent news channels on Russian and Ukrainian Telegram claimed the drone strikes set fire to a major oil refinery in Kirishi, southeast of St Petersburg. The facility, Kirishi Petroleum Organic Synthesis, is one of Russia’s largest oil refineries and the only one in the country’s northwest.
Kullab writes for the Associated Press.
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