An investigation into the tragedy in the village of Myla in Bucha district of Kyiv Oblast is ongoing, where a Russian drone strike on an ammunition depot triggered a fire and mass detonation. According to the Interior Ministry, forces from four regions have been deployed to deal with the aftermath, around 40 people have been questioned, and physical evidence has been sent for forensic examination. This was announced by Interior Minister Ivan Vyhovsky, as reported by RBC-Ukraine.
Progress of the investigation
The police, together with representatives of the SBU and the Office of the Prosecutor General, are establishing the circumstances of the incident, first and foremost the reasons why an ammunition depot was located among ordinary residential houses. According to Vyhovsky, around 40 victims and witnesses have already been questioned, and the collected materials have been sent for expert examination. Criminal proceedings have been opened under the article on official negligence, and the prosecutor's office has launched a separate investigation into the legality of the depot's placement. The Prime Minister, Serhiy Horytskyi, worked at the scene of the tragedy from the morning, and the course of the work, according to the minister, is regularly reported to the President.
Scale of destruction and rescue operations
According to the latest data, 37 people are known to have died, the identities of many of whom are still being established; four are missing, and searches are ongoing. Due to the strike and the subsequent detonation, around 130 houses on several streets were damaged, rescuers are still extinguishing fire hotspots, and staying near the scene remains dangerous. At night, around 400 people were evacuated, and police and State Emergency Service (SES) personnel saved more than ten people who were trapped in basements and unable to get out on their own. Since the night, the maximum forces and resources of four regions of Ukraine have been deployed to the operations.
Operational support for the affected
Tents of the SES and the police have been set up on the territory of the community, where the affected are being provided with assistance, including psychological support. Mobile units of the Interior Ministry's service center and the migration service are working to restore documents. Patrol police have partially resumed traffic on the Kyiv–Zhytomyr highway.
Contradictory data
Official Ukrainian statements link the tragedy to the placement of an ammunition depot within a residential area — a fact that, according to reports, was confirmed by the President and is now being checked by the prosecutor's office. At the same time, RBC-Ukraine and Vyhovsky's statement characterize the strike as having been carried out by drones on "depots" (plural) in Bucha district, whereas in some formulations the first hit was specifically on an ammunition depot. The Russian-language outlet ukraina.ru presents the incident in the context of a political search for the guilty — it is claimed that the President is "furious" and looking for someone to blame; this interpretation is not confirmed by primary Ukrainian sources and reflects the position of an external outlet. The final legal qualification of the incident (official negligence or more serious offenses) has not yet been established and depends on the results of the expert examinations.
