Most victims of Russian strike near Bucha were elderly care home residents
A Russian drone strike and subsequent ammunition detonation in the village of Myla near Bucha killed 37 people, most of whom were residents of a private elderly care home, while 42 others were injured.
A Russian drone strike followed by the detonation of stored ammunition in the village of Myla, in the Bucha district near Kyiv, has killed 37 people, with most of the victims identified as residents of a private care home for the elderly, according to hromadske, citing Svitlana Vodolaha, spokesperson for Ukraine's State Emergency Service, and the outlet's own correspondents.
Vodolaha said 27 deaths have been confirmed so far, while another 10 cases remain unconfirmed as they involve human remains found at the site whose identities have not yet been established. The final death toll will only be known once identification is complete.
Rescue operation
According to the State Emergency Service, rescuers managed to pull 10 people to safety within the first seconds of arriving, including some trapped in basements or unable to escape on their own. Overall, firefighters and police evacuated around 400 people that night. Firefighters from other regions have since joined the response effort, though it remains unclear when work will conclude, as further Russian attacks continue to hamper operations.
hromadske journalist Diana Butsko wrote on Facebook that the care home, called Dobryi Dim (Good Home), lost everyone who had been inside — at least 31 bodies have been recovered so far. Three additional people from the surrounding area were also killed: two in a building opposite the care home and one in a car. Local residents reported hearing two strikes, the first around 20:30 on 28 August, with explosions continuing throughout the night.
Background
Powerful explosions were reported in the Bucha district on the evening of 28 August, setting a warehouse facility ablaze and forcing authorities to close traffic in both directions on the Kyiv-Chop highway. As of 29 August, the confirmed death toll from the attack and the following detonations stood at 37, with 42 others injured. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said ammunition should not be stored near residential areas, noting that the first strike hit a defence forces warehouse that should not have been located in Myla. Ukraine's General Staff said Russia bears responsibility for the tragedy, and the Security Service of Ukraine has opened a criminal investigation into the strike on the warehouses.
