Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared that officials responsible for permitting weapons warehouses to operate in a residential area outside Kyiv have been identified and will face accountability. The announcement followed a Russian strike on the small town of Vyshneve, located on Kyiv's western outskirts, which hit an arms warehouse and triggered secondary explosions, killing 10 people and damaging hundreds of houses.
Investigation identifies responsible officials
Zelenskyy stated that an investigation by the Ukrainian Security Service had pinpointed which officials at the state weapons producer Ukroboronprom authorized the use of the warehouse. “This was a direct violation of both the law and a decision of the supreme commander-in-chief’s staff,” he said. “The responsible officials have been identified and the state’s position is that each of them must be held accountable.” He added, “Every enterprise manager must ensure that such tragedies are never repeated.” The incident sparked public outcry, with residents alleging negligence and a lack of information from officials.
Deadly attacks across Ukraine on Saturday
Zelenskyy's statement came as Russian missile and drone attacks on Saturday killed eight people, including a child, and wounded dozens more across Ukraine. In the northern city of Sumy, two glide bombs struck a crowded area, killing five and injuring 30. In a border district of Sumy region, where Russia aims to expand a buffer zone, a man was killed after stepping on an explosive device. Glide bombs also injured 10 in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, according to the regional governor. Earlier in the day, a missile strike on the southern port city of Odesa killed two and wounded one. The injury toll from strikes on Kyiv rose to 12, including two children, as reported by the city's mayor.
Zelenskyy details Russian aerial assault
Zelenskyy said Russia launched over 120 drones and 12 missiles during the night, half of them ballistic. “Civilian infrastructure was hit even before the air raid alert was issued,” he noted. He posted videos of emergency teams working amid smoke and rubble. Apartment buildings, offices, and a theological school in Kyiv were damaged, while recovery efforts continued in other regions. Zelenskyy acknowledged that air defenses “managed to shoot down most of the targets – but not the ballistic ones.” He reiterated his plea for allies to provide more military aid to counter the Russian invasion, now in its fifth year. Russia has intensified attacks on Kyiv recently, with strikes on the capital and surrounding region killing over 60 people this month alone.
Missile strikes before air alerts
Saturday's strike on Kyiv marked the second time in less than a week that missiles hit before an air alert was issued. Sergiy Sternenko, an adviser to Ukraine's defense minister, explained that the strike occurred before sirens could indicate incoming Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missiles. “During ground attacks, these missiles are more difficult to detect by radar,” he said. “There is no military logic to such attacks. It is simply terrorism for the sake of terrorism.” Russia, which denies targeting civilians, claimed it had struck “military-industrial facilities in Kyiv and seaport infrastructure in Odesa.”
Zelenskyy calls for faster arms deliveries
Zelenskyy also emphasized that diplomacy should focus on ensuring allies fulfill arms-supply agreements more quickly. “I am preparing changes in Ukraine’s diplomatic efforts. We need a new level of cooperation with our partners to ensure that agreements on arms supplies are fulfilled,” he said in his nightly video address. “Agreements reached by national leaders must be implemented much more quickly and completely,” he added, specifically citing cooperation with the United States on licensing for the production of Patriot air defense systems.
Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian vessels
Ukraine's drone forces chief Robert Brovdi reported that his units struck 21 fuel tanker vessels in the Sea of Azov overnight, along with seven other cargo and support ships, bringing the total number of vessels struck this week to 76. Zelenskyy has stated that the drone campaign aims to bring Russia to the negotiating table, though President Vladimir Putin has shown no willingness to soften his position. Russian authorities confirmed that one person was killed in a drone attack on four vessels, including a tanker carrying methanol, in Taganrog Bay on the Sea of Azov. Yuri Slyusar, governor of the southern Rostov region, wrote on Telegram, “A seaman on a technical support vessel has lost his life. I offer my condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased. No one else was injured.” He said the vessels sustained various degrees of damage but noted “there is no risk of a methanol spill or leak.”
Russian advances and fuel crisis
Russia's defense ministry claimed on Saturday that its troops had taken control of the settlement of Bachivsk in Ukraine's Sumy region, a report that could not be independently verified. Meanwhile, authorities in Russia's Novosibirsk region urged residents to work remotely and limit car travel amid a deepening fuel crisis triggered by Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries. The region, home to nearly three million people, is one of Siberia's largest by population and a major economic hub. The announcement followed Ukraine's strike on an oil refinery in the neighboring Omsk region earlier this week, knocking out one of Russia's largest oil processing facilities by capacity.
