Deadly ammunition depot near Kyiv was housed in former vegetable warehouse, investigators say
An ammunition depot struck by Russian drones near Kyiv in late August, triggering explosions that killed 35 people, had been set up in a former vegetable warehouse near residential buildings and did not meet weapons-storage safety requirements, Ukrainian investigators said.
Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) said an official responsible for logistics at the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has been named a suspect over the storage of artillery ammunition at the facility in Myla, a village west of Kyiv.
According to investigators, the depot was illegally located less than 100 meters (330 feet) from residential buildings. The former vegetable warehouse did not meet requirements for storing weapons and explosives, and its location had not been coordinated with relevant law enforcement agencies or air-defense units.
The DBR said the SBU official also failed to take measures to reduce the risk of a large quantity of ammunition being destroyed in a single Russian attack.
Russian drones struck the depot on Aug. 28, causing the ammunition to detonate and starting a fire that spread to neighboring buildings, investigators said.
The explosions killed 35 people and injured 21 others, including two children. One person remains missing. A nearby nursing home suffered some of the heaviest damage, while 14 apartment buildings and 191 private homes were damaged.
Investigators said ammunition had already begun to be removed from the Myla site following an earlier explosion at an ammunition facility in nearby Vyshneve, but the work had not been completed before the Russian strike.
The SBU official is suspected of deliberately failing to perform duties that resulted in grave consequences and could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
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