At least 27 dead after Russian drone attack triggers multiple blasts and fire at warehouse near Kyiv

At least 27 people have been killed and dozens wounded after a Russian drone attack triggered a large fire and multiple explosions that lasted for hours at a warehouse in a residential area near Kyiv. The attack — in the Bucha district — came amid near constant aerial assaults from Russia but the likely storage of ammunition at the warehouse has had catastrophic consequences. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to punish those responsible. “Unfortunately, as of now, 27 people are known to have died. And this figure may not be final. I offer my sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims,” said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv region military administration. Tkachenko said that more than 40 people were injured in the attack and more than 380 others, including dozens of children, had to be evacuated from the area. He said at least 50 residential buildings were damaged. Videos and photos shared by local residents show several completely destroyed buildings, with a little more than a few bare walls and scorched earth left. Russia’s defense ministry said its forces struck an arms depot storing drone making equipment. Speaking about the attack, Zelensky did not explicitly reveal the details of what kind of a warehouse was hit by the Russians, but said an investigation would be opened into the incident because “ammunition cannot be stored near homes or other residential areas.” Separately, the office of Ukraine’s Prosecutor General said in a statement that “explosive objects and materials” were stored in the premises and that an investigation would be opened into “the circumstances surrounding the explosion on the premises of the facility and the actions of the officials responsible.” Zelensky said a care home for elderly citizens and people living with disabilities was among the dozens of building damaged in the attack, and that more than 300 emergency services personnel were responding on the scene. Days of non-stop terror The deadly blast came as Kyiv has endured more than two days of near non-stop Russian attacks. According to a CNN tally, there have been 28 air raid alerts between midnight on Thursday and midday on Saturday, lasting more than 28 hours in total. While some missile strikes were recorded on Thursday, most of the attacks over the past few days were by jet-powered drones. These are a relatively new addition to Russia’s arsenal, having been first spotted around the start of the year. They can be exceptionally dangerous. Jet-powered drones fly at speeds of up to 500 kilometers per hour (310 miles per hour), evading Ukraine’s air defenses. They are also too fast for Kyiv’s mobile fire groups, so the only way to shoot them down is with ground-to-air missiles or fighter jets – both of which are in extremely limited supply in Ukraine. This story has been updated.