Ukraine-Krieg: Dutzende Tote nach Angriff auf Munitionslager bei Kiew

In a Russian attack on a Ukrainian munitions depot near Kyiv, heavy explosions have reportedly killed dozens of people in a residential area. President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned 38 deaths and four missing persons. The town of Myla, located five kilometers west of Kyiv, continues to deal with the aftermath of the Russian attack and search for more victims.

There are 20 wounded, including two children, according to Zelensky. "The firefighters have managed to extinguish most of the fires," he added. Explosive experts are involved in tracking the dispersed munitions. The contaminated area is large. Russia had attacked the depot on Friday evening, where grenades and mines were stored.

It was only on Saturday that it was known the munitions depot was located in a residential area, contrary to Ukrainian regulations. Most victims were residents of a nursing home. Criminal proceedings have been initiated against those responsible for the negligence. President Zelensky had previously announced to hold accountable those who showed negligence.

"There are regulations: munitions must not be next to houses and other residential buildings," he emphasized. Investigations into the case continue. "There is significant damage to the surrounding infrastructure: residential houses as well as a senior citizens' and disabled home were damaged," Zelensky said. Nearly 400 people were rescued.

Prime Minister Serhiy Kozeroky drew attention to a similar incident in Wyschnewe at the beginning of July in the southwestern suburbs of Kyiv. "On the fifth year of the war, the same mistakes are being made - this is criminal negligence," he wrote in a message on Telegram. According to official data, at least nine people were killed in the explosion of a munitions depot.

Kyiv and its surroundings have been on constant alert due to air alarms for several days. A 2-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy were also killed according to official data. Zelensky said Ukraine needs more protection from Russian terror. "In total, Russia has fired almost 2,000 attack drones, over 1,600 bombs and 31 rockets of various types, including North Korean ballistic missiles, against our population," he said.

There have been constant attacks on communities in front-line and border regions around the clock. Meanwhile, Ukraine is retaliating with new attacks on targets in Russia's hinterland. Zelensky highlighted the destruction of drone assembly, preparation and firing sites in the Orjol and Rostov regions. "There have been hits on a military airfield in Yekaterinburg and in the Black Sea," he said.

An oil refinery in the Leningrad region was also a target, which brings millions of dollars to the military budget monthly. "Russia must daily feel that the war returns to where it came from," Selenskyj explained. Resources for the war must be taken away from Russia, which also requires further sanctions from the West and a fight against the circumvention of sanction measures.

Russia continues to import many components, chemicals, and machines for its war economy from abroad, Selenskyj said. The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskow told Russian state television that Ukraine has chosen the path to escalation by attacking economic targets of Russia with "terrorist attacks". "Every day, the country's defeat becomes more evident.

Kyiv understands this very well," Peskow said. The damage in the country due to Russian attacks is visible to the naked eye. The Russian Defense Ministry reported in the morning that a facility in Kyiv was hit, where parts and explosives for drones were stored. The information is not verifiable by independent sources. Attacks on armament facilities will continue.

Russian forces also announced they would prepare massive blows against Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Russia has been conducting its war against Ukraine for more than four and a half years. Kyiv is defending itself with Western support. Russian lawmaker Alexei Shurjalov considered in a video statement the possibility of striking Ukraine with a tactical nuclear weapon.

"There are discussions about whether we can use tactical nuclear weapons or not," he said. "If necessary, we are obliged to use them." The Russian army is advancing in Ukraine, but harder blows are needed. "You have to hit so that the enemy understands that he should capitulate," the politician from the Kremlin-friendly Rodina party said, just a few weeks before the Duma elections planned for September 18-20.

He cited the use of atomic bombs by the United States in Japan during World War II as an example. The Kremlin has always emphasized that atomic weapons could only be used in the event of an existential threat to Russia. Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin acknowledged the damage caused by Ukrainian attacks, but downplayed them as "under control".