July 11 (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that officials who allowed weapons warehouses to operate in a residential area outside Kyiv where explosions killed 10 people had been identified and would be held accountable.
A Russian strike this week on the small town of Vyshneve on Kyiv’s western outskirts hit a warehouse housing arms, setting off a series of secondary explosions. Hundreds of houses were damaged.
Zelenskiy said an investigation by the Ukrainian Security Service had established which officials within the state weapons producer Ukroboronprom had authorised use of the warehouse in Vyshneve.
“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.”
Without identifying those accused, Zelenskiy said the heads of two state-owned enterprises had operated in violation of the law and of decisions taken by Ukraine’s military. Other officials who may have contributed to decisions would also be investigated, he said.
“Every enterprise manager must ensure that such tragedies are never repeated,” he said.
The episode sparked a public outcry, with residents claiming negligence and a lack of information from officials.
(Reporting by Ron Popeski and Oleksandr Kozhukhar; Editing by Alistair Bell)
