Myla death toll rises to 38 after Russian strike triggers ammunition explosions

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported on the morning of Aug. 30 that 38 people were known to have been killed in Myla in the strike and subsequent detonation. Another 20 people were injured, including two children, and four remain missing. He said work in Myla was continuing around the clock and rescuers had extinguished most of the fires. State Emergency Service bomb disposal crews are neutralizing explosive hazards at the scene.

The president expressed condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed.

Hromadske journalist Diana Butsko reported that the Dobryi Dim nursing home was closest to the epicenter of the explosion in Myla and bore the brunt of the blast. All of the nursing home’s residents were killed in the Russian strike.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv Oblast Military Administration, said 34 people were killed at the nursing home, BBC News Ukraine reported. About 50 homes were damaged in Bucha District.

The regional military administration also reported the death of Taras Didych, head of the Dmytrivka community, who was among the first to arrive at the scene.

Russian strike and explosions in Myla — key facts

On Aug. 28, Russian forces struck a site in the village of Myla in Bucha District, Kyiv Oblast, where shells, mines, other munitions and drones belonging to Ukraine’s Defense Forces were stored, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The attack sparked a large fire and set off detonations.

National Police closed the M-06 Kyiv-Chop highway to all traffic between kilometer markers 15 and 32 in both directions.

Aug. 30 was declared a day of mourning in Kyiv Oblast for those killed.

The Ukrainian president ordered law enforcement agencies to investigate why munitions had been stored near civilian buildings. Zelenskyy said this was already the second such incident after the detonation in Vyshneve and stressed that such incidents were unacceptable.

On Aug. 29, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said all leaders in the security and defense forces, along with representatives of the defense industry, must conduct a full audit of weapons and ammunition storage sites.