SBU Unit Chief Detained Over Ammunition Storage Violations After 35 Killed Near Kyiv

The head of a Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) unit has been placed in custody on suspicion of violating ammunition storage requirements at a site near Kyiv where a Russian drone strike and subsequent explosions killed 35 people. Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation said the official was responsible for storing weapons and ammunition at the facility in the village of Mila, located in the Bucha district of the Kyiv region.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Russian forces attacked warehouses belonging to a local enterprise at about 8:10 p.m. on Aug. 28. A unit from SBU used part of the premises. The strike caused ammunition stored at the site to detonate, resulting in explosions and fires to spread to neighboring properties, investigators said. Thirty-five people were killed, while one person remains missing, and 21 others were injured, including two children, police officers, and emergency workers. A nearby care home for older people sustained the heaviest damage. According to investigators, the SBU unit stored weapons and ammunition in a former vegetable warehouse that did not have the required certification and failed to meet safety standards for explosive materials. The facility was located less than 100 meters (328 feet) from nearby residential buildings. Investigators also alleged that requirements governing the permitted quantity and dispersal of ammunition were not followed. Separating stored munitions is intended to reduce the risk of simultaneous detonation. Other Topics of Interest 3,200 km Into Russia: Ukraine Hits 2 Major Gas Facilities in Record-Breaking Strike The Novy Urengoy and Purovsky plants are key to Russia’s gas industry, with the strikes reaching a region previously considered a safe rear area. The official was notified that he was suspected of failure to act by a military authority under martial law. The offense carries a possible prison sentence of up to 10 years. Kyiv’s Pechersky District Court ordered the suspect to custody, but allowed the possibility of release on bail. Investigators are also examining whether security at the site was adequately supervised and whether measures were taken to strengthen its protection from aerial attacks. Explosives and fire examinations have been ordered. Authorities are also working to identify other people whose actions or inaction may have contributed to the scale of the destruction. The explosions damaged 14 apartment buildings and 191 private homes, with some structures completely destroyed. Taras Didych, head of the Dmytrivka territorial community, was among those killed. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.