Russia warns of 'massive strikes' on Ukraine's energy sector as death toll from Kyiv's arm depot reaches 38

Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Sunday that Moscow was preparing large-scale strikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in what it described as a tit-for-tat response to Kyiv’s attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure and energy facilities. "Russian forces have begun preparations for massive strikes against facilities in Ukraine's energy sector in response to the ongoing attacks by the Kyiv regime on civilian infrastructure and on Russia's oil and energy complex," it said on Telegram.

The warning comes after months of escalating long-range attacks by both Russia and Ukraine, with strikes increasingly targeting warehouses, businesses, oil facilities, ports and other critical infrastructure. The attacks have also contributed to rising civilian casualties. Last winter, repeated Russian strikes on Ukrainian power plants severely damaged the country’s energy network, leaving millions of people without electricity and heating during freezing temperatures.

On Sunday, Russia’s army said it had struck a plant in Kyiv that produces asbestos and cement. Moscow claimed warehouses at the facility were being used to store explosives. Russian forces also reported striking a Ukrainian manufacturer of drones and munitions. The latest escalation followed a deadly Russian strike on an ammunition depot near the Ukrainian capital on Saturday. The attack triggered a massive explosion and fire, with secondary detonations sending flames into surrounding areas. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that the death toll from the strike had risen to 38.

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The military facility, located near the town of Myla, was reportedly storing ammunition, drones and explosives. Emergency crews have extinguished most of the fires, while bomb disposal teams continue operations to clear the site, Zelensky said on Telegram.

He said 38 people had been killed, 20 injured and four remained missing. Zelensky also warned that the extent of contamination in the area is significant.

The incident marked the second attack on a munitions depot near Kyiv in less than two months. Ukrainian officials have expressed concern over the continued storage of weapons and explosives near residential areas. Ukrainian prosecutors have launched an investigation into possible criminal negligence following the blast. According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia launched at least two missiles and 267 drones against Ukraine between late Friday and early Saturday.

Ukraine has also continued its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. Local authorities said a Ukrainian drone strike hit an oil refinery in northwestern Russia on Saturday, causing a fire. The intensifying attacks come as US-led diplomatic efforts to end the war remain stalled. The conflict, which has become Europe’s deadliest since World War II, has seen little progress toward a negotiated settlement in recent months. Russia has demanded sweeping territorial and political concessions from Ukraine, while Kyiv has rejected those demands as unacceptable and tantamount to capitulation.