Russian forces dropped nine aerial bombs on a former school in the village of Komyshuvakha, southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, killing at least 40 people and leaving some 30 trapped under rubble as people arrived to collect humanitarian aid, Ukrainian officials said, Sky News reported. The strike on Monday made it one of Russia’s deadliest attacks on Ukrainian civilians since the full-scale invasion began.
The building had served as an underground shelter and distributed aid every week, President Volodymr Zelenskyy said. Classes had long been suspended because of the village’s proximity to the front line. Rescue workers continued searching underground for bodies, with Ivan Fedorov, co-head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Defense Council, writing on Telegram that 59 people were missing, according to RTE.ie.
Bombs Destroy Underground School Shelter
Two members of a rescue crew and four police officers were among those killed, Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said, Sky News reported. The dead included people who had rushed to help others escape the initial blast, CNN reported, citing police statements that a follow-up strike trapped those trying to flee the underground school.
Search and rescue operations have now been underway for three days at the site of the Russian strike on a school in the settlement of Komyshuvakha in the Zaporizhzhia region. The Russians used nine aerial bombs. They first struck people who had come to receive humanitarian aid,… pic.twitter.com/KaFinOorVy
Regional governor Mykhailo Semikin told Ukraine’s national TV that Russia used KAB-500 and FAB-3000 bombs in the attack, CNN reported. The FAB-3000 is a three-ton aerial bomb containing nearly 1.5 tons of explosive material, designed to destroy heavy concrete fortifications.
Conflicting Claims on Target
Russia’s Defense Ministry said the attack targeted Ukrainian military units around Komyshuvakha and two other towns, claiming up to 25 Ukrainian servicemen were killed, Sky News reported. Both Moscow and Kyiv deny deliberately targeting civilians.
Zelenskyy said the strike showed Moscow was continuing to kill people rather than build on a recent evacuation. “If Russia genuinely wanted de-escalation, there was an opportunity following the situation in Oleshky to continue taking humanitarian steps,” he said in his nightly video address. “We proposed this. But Russia continues to kill people.”
Strike Follows Ceasefire Expiry Ahead of Abu Dhabi Talks
The assault came a day after a brief US-brokered ceasefire in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky expired, Sky News reported. The truce, brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump, allowed nearly 800 people to be evacuated from the city. Zelenskyy awarded her a state honor for her role, RTE.ie reported.
The attack occurred less than a week before the United States is due to bring together Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11 for talks on ending the war, postwar security agreements and de-escalation, US envoy Steve Witkoff said, RTE.ie reported.
Wider Barrage Hits Energy Infrastructure
The Komyshuvakha strike was part of a broader wave of overnight attacks. Russia launched 289 attack drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles across Ukraine, The Irish Times reported. Moscow struck two power stations in the Kyiv and Zhytomyr regions, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, and Ukraine’s energy ministry said 20 strikes hit energy facilities in 10 regions, causing extensive damage and electricity outages. Three days of mourning were declared in Zaporizhzhia, The Irish Times reported.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy wrote: “Unfortunately, there has been very little reaction from the world to this insane attack. But it, like thousands upon thousands of other war crimes Russia has committed against Ukraine and Ukrainians, demands a strong response. Evil always goes further if it is left unanswered.”
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