Ukraine Warehouse Strike Death Toll Rises to 38 as Russia Threatens Major Energy Attacks

Kyiv (Terror Monitor) — The death toll from a Russian strike on a warehouse west of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, has risen to 38, while four people remain missing.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack was the deadliest Russian strike on Ukraine so far this year.

The warehouse in the village of Mila was hit on Friday night. Ukrainian authorities described the site as a facility used to store ammunition.

The strike triggered powerful explosions and a major fire that spread to dozens of nearby homes and buildings.

Zelenskyy said emergency crews were still working at the site to extinguish the fire and identify and neutralize unexploded ordnance.

At least 20 people were also injured, including two children.

Ukrainian authorities have launched an investigation into possible negligence on their side, particularly over the storage of ammunition near a residential area.

Russia Threatens Large-Scale Energy Strikes

Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry has announced preparations for large-scale attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Moscow said the planned strikes would be in response to what it described as continued Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilian facilities and the oil and gas sector.

In recent months, Ukraine has significantly increased drone attacks on Russian oil refineries and other energy facilities. The attacks have contributed to an unusual fuel shortage in Russia, one of the world’s major energy producers.

Ukraine has also targeted facilities belonging to Wildberries, one of Russia’s largest online retailers.

Kyiv says the company sells goods that can be used for both civilian and military purposes and that its activities have supported Russia’s war effort.

Russia has previously carried out systematic attacks on Ukraine’s electricity grid, power stations and other energy infrastructure during winter. Those strikes have left thousands of Ukrainians without electricity and heating during periods of severe cold.

Ukrainian authorities have warned that the coming winter could be the most difficult since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Meanwhile, at least three people were injured in another Russian drone attack on Kyiv on Saturday night.

According to local authorities, a fire spread from the second to the fifth floors of a 12-story residential building in the Obolonskyi district.

Fires were also reported in three other districts of the capital. Two non-residential and administrative buildings were damaged at separate locations.