At least 27 people have died after a Russian drone struck a warehouse near Kyiv’s western suburbs overnight, sparking a huge fire and explosions, authorities said Saturday.
AFP reporters saw a huge column of black smoke pouring over the capital’s western suburbs, as officials reported the facility was still on fire. Ukrainian prosecutors announced an investigation. That investigation revealed serious failings on the part of the state-owned company, which did not comply with standards despite the proximity of residential buildings.
The warehouse appeared to have been storing “explosive objects”, Ukrainian prosecutors said, opening an investigation into criminal negligence. “A large-scale fire broke out on the enterprise’s grounds, and detonation began,” it added. The prosecutor’s office specified that its investigation would focus on “the legality of the… storage of explosive objects and materials on the enterprise’s grounds”, as well as whether the company, which was not named, had the “necessary permits and approvals”.
