Update · 2 Nov 2026, 11:50 PM PKT: Zelenskyy put the death toll from the attack at 24, up from the at least 18 that Kyiv had earlier reported. Zelenskyy said the attack was further proof that Russia does not want any de-escalation or real justice.
At least 18 people who were waiting to receive humanitarian aid in a Ukrainian village have been killed in a Russian attack, according to Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelensky described the strike as “utterly horrific”.
Five people were hurt and 27 others remain unaccounted for after at least nine 3,000kg aerial bombs struck Komyshuvakha, a village in southern Zaporizhzhia region, regional head Mykhailo Semikin said. Officials have warned the death toll could climb, as several people may still be trapped beneath debris.
Two strikes hit school and shelter site
Zelensky said the first strike hit a local school that was being used for humanitarian purposes, and a second attack then targeted the spot where residents had taken cover. He posted footage of a large crater left by Monday’s attack, with rescue crews searching through the wreckage.
Zelensky argued that Russia must have known residents still living in Komyshuvakha collected aid there every week. He said the killings showed Moscow was rejecting efforts to ease tensions, following a recent joint Russian-Ukrainian operation that evacuated civilians from the Russia-occupied city of Oleshky.
“With such killings, Russia is sending the exact opposite signal,” Zelensky said, adding that Moscow was counting on further deaths.
Rescue work continues as Russia stays silent
Semikin said rescue teams were working at the scene and confirmed that people remained trapped. The Russian military has not publicly commented on the attack.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
