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Kyiv: At least 27 dead, dozens injured in Bucha, widespread damage in capital – regional recap for Aug 29
➡️ As of 11am on Friday August 28, Kyiv had been under constant attack by Shahed drones, with the siren reportedly sounding at least 21 times, while claiming that Russia had struck 18 civilian warehouses, dozens of private houses, apartment buildings, and cars, but none of the targets had been affiliated with the military.
🔹 Just before 11am on Friday, Russia struck the Khortytsa distillery, with reports of at least four impacts, which resulted in between 3 and 4 million units of finished alcohol being destroyed, according to the company’s press service.
🔹 As a result of the attack on the distillery, Ukrainian media reported that several vodka brands, including Morosha, Pervak, Medova, Pshonychna Slyoza and Gold Ukraine will be unavailable in Kyiv, due to the complete destruction of the distillery.
🔹 Footage was also published on Friday morning showing the extent of the damage in Vishneve, with destruction across the roadways and transportation, and a dead body was pictured lying in the middle of the road, while surrounding property was damaged in blast waves.
🔹 In a second strike in Vishneve on Friday, a drone targeted parked cars in a residential complex, which had been captured on CCTV, as Ukrainian media shared it with the caption: “Woman celebrates her second birthday,” as the pedestrian had narrowly missed being killed in the explosion.
🔹 One of the warehouses to go up in flames stored books from publishing houses and stores such as Readeat, Vivat, Book.ua and Uraborus, according to sources, while one of the YASNO warehouses which contained equipment for solar power plants had been destroyed, with the company claiming Russia is targeting the alternative energy industry.
🔹 Retired Major Hetman told reporters on Friday that the Kyiv air raid alerts are likely to continue for weeks with virtually no breaks, claiming that Russia is likely to be launching two or three drones every two to three hours to keep the city under constant bombardment, with his comments coming at the same time as the 9th air raid siren for the day sounded.
🔹 At 3pm, an urgent message was published in Ukrainian media advising Kyiv residents to take care of all urgent matters, because Russia had launched at least 4 groups of drones from Oryol and 3 groups of drones from Bryansk, which were reportedly heading to the Kyiv region.
➡️ Large explosions occurred near the M-06 Kyiv-Chop highway in Bucha, Kyiv region, causing devastating fires and a cook-off of ammunition, leading commentators to speculate the site was an ammunition and rocket storage facility, but could also have been a previously private enterprise working under military contracts.
🔹 Reports began to circulate about multiple casualties as the fires spread and explosions continued throughout the night and into the morning, as locals submitted footage to Ukrainian media networks, showing fences, houses and vegetation on fire.
🔹 The overall civilian death toll reported at 11am local time was 27 deaths and 42 injuries, while 381 people, including 50 children, had been evacuated from the area, as reports from officials warned of around 50 residential buildings suffering varying degrees of damage, and the Kyiv administration said the death toll could still rise.
🔹 Prime Minister Serhil Korestskyi called for a swift investigation and severe punishment for those responsible for the fire that was followed by explosions at a warehouse facility in Bucha.
🔹 A response command post was deployed at the site of the attack in the Bucha district, Kyiv Oblast Governor Tymur Tkachenko reported, noting that rescuers, police, medics, and other emergency services were working to eliminate the consequences and evacuate residents.
🔹 The Prosecutor’s office said they had opened a pretrial investigation into Russia’s conduct of the war and possible official negligence during the attack.
🔹 Investigators will examine whether the storage and presence of explosive materials at the facility were lawful, whether the necessary permits and approvals were obtained, and the actions of officials who made the relevant decisions, the Prosecutor General’s Office said.
🔹 Although the Kyiv-Chop highway had been closed for around 12 hours, rescuers had eventually managed to clear a lane for motorists to use, allowing transportation from Kyiv to Zhytomyr, but the relevant services are still working at the sites of the fires in the Bucha district and the other lanes need to remain closed for the safety of drivers.
🔹 Residents reported to Ukrainian media that breathing was difficult throughout Kyiv city centre due to a warehouse storing tyres in the Bucha district, which Russian drones had been attacking since the early morning, and footage showed thick smoke shrouding the city.
➡️ On the morning of August 29, a Shahed drone was said to have struck civilian infrastructure in the area near the student dormitories of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, according to Ukrainian monitors.
🔹 Emergency services reported that a fire had broken out on the 9th floor of an apartment building in the Sviatoshynskyi district, while a fire had broken out on the roof of a two-story warehouse building in the Holosiivskyi district, adding that two people had been injured during the attacks.
➡️ Supermarket brands Silpo, Thrash! and Fora are suspending bonus payments, reviewing their compensation systems, and halting recruitment, according to Forbes, noting that the Fozzy Group made the decision in the wake of devastating Russian attacks on 10 distribution centres causing significant financial losses.
🔹 Residents were also instructed to stock up on food for two weeks due to likely issues with deliveries of goods in Kyiv, reported head of the analytical department of UKAB Maxim Hopka, who added that periodically, dairy products, meat/fish, fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as frozen products and semi-finished products will begin to disappear from the shelves, adding that there is also a forecast of a price increase for dairy products and meat by 20%.
🔹 Meanwhile, Putin has allegedly ordered the destruction of offices, car dealerships, and gas stations in Kyiv, with the first step of the plan to be the destruction of large warehouses, hypermarkets, and shopping centres, before targeting the infrastructure of the Kyiv metro, power grids, and other facilities.
🔹 The report stated that Epicentre stores and shopping malls in Kyiv and surrounding regions were increasingly at risk in the coming days, with warning that under no circumstances should anyone remain present in these locations during air raid alerts due to personal safety.
