Death Toll Rises To 38 From Russia’s Deadliest Attack On Ukraine This Year
The death toll from Russia's deadliest single attack on Ukraine this year has risen to 38, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, after a strike on an ammunition warehouse west of Kyiv on Friday night triggered massive explosions and fires that engulfed dozens of nearby homes. Four people remain missing and 20 were injured, including two children, as emergency crews continue extinguishing fires and clearing explosives at the site in the village of Myla. The attack comes amid a wider escalation, with Russia's defence ministry warning it will launch "massive strikes" on Ukraine's energy grid in retaliation for Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil refineries and the retailer Wildberries, raising fears of a harsh winter for Ukrainians.
Russia said it downed almost 500 Ukrainian drones overnight, while unconfirmed reports suggested Ukrainian strikes had set fire to a major oil refinery in Kirishi, near St Petersburg, with 62 drones reportedly shot down over the surrounding region. Separately, at least three people were injured in a Russian drone strike on Kyiv on Saturday night, which sparked fires in a residential tower and several other districts; Russia claimed it had targeted a Kyiv factory allegedly storing explosives. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov vowed "an appropriate response" to what he called Ukraine's escalation, framing Moscow's strikes as targeting military and war-related infrastructure.
In short
- Kyiv-area warehouse strike death toll rises to 38, deadliest attack this year
- Russia threatens "massive strikes" on Ukraine's energy infrastructure in retaliation
- Kyiv hit by drone strike; Russian refinery reportedly set ablaze
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Russia could argue that strikes on facilities it says support Ukraine’s military effort are intended to limit attacks on Russian territory and disrupt weapons or logistics, and that it is responding to Ukrainian drone strikes. From this perspective, targeting military-related infrastructure is part of the wider conflict, though any such action must still comply with the laws of war and protect civilians.
The case against
Ukraine and its supporters could argue that Russia’s strike on an ammunition warehouse in a populated area, with deaths, injuries and damage to nearby homes, shows the grave civilian cost of the campaign. They could also contend that threatening Ukraine’s energy grid risks depriving civilians of heat and power through winter, and that describing strikes as retaliation does not justify attacks that harm civilians or essential infrastructure.
Explained simply
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, and the two countries have since fought with missiles, drones and ground forces. Kyiv is Ukraine’s capital; Myla is a village west of the city.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is Ukraine’s president, while Russia’s defence ministry directs the country’s military operations and Dmitry Peskov speaks for the Kremlin. Both governments describe their attacks as responses to the other side’s actions, and reports of strikes and damage can be difficult to verify independently.
The fighting has increasingly affected energy facilities and other infrastructure, as well as military sites. Damage to Ukraine’s energy system could disrupt heating and electricity during winter, while attacks on facilities in Russia have also become part of the conflict.