The first strike hit a local school being used for humanitarian activities, while a second attack targeted the area where residents had taken shelter
By Njoku Vincent
At least 26 people have been killed and five others injured after Russian forces bombed an aid distribution centre in Komyshuvakha village, in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described Monday’s attack as “utterly horrific”, accusing Russia of deliberately targeting civilians receiving humanitarian assistance.
Regional head Mykhailo Semikin said at least nine aerial bombs, each weighing 3,000 kilogrammes, struck the village, leaving several people trapped beneath the rubble.
He initially reported that 27 people were missing, while rescue operations were ongoing amid fears that the death toll could increase.
Zelensky said the first strike hit a local school being used for humanitarian activities, while a second attack targeted the area where residents had taken shelter.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (DSNS) initially confirmed 24 deaths, including two rescue workers and four police officers. However, Zelensky later revised the death toll to 26.
In a video address, the Ukrainian leader said Russia was aware that residents of Komyshuvakha gathered at the location every week to receive humanitarian assistance.
“The Russians could not have been unaware that the local residents who remained in Komyshuvakha received humanitarian aid there every week,” he said.
He described the attack as further evidence that Moscow was not interested in reducing hostilities.
Zelensky also recalled a recent joint Russian-Ukrainian operation to evacuate civilians from the Russian-occupied southern city of Oleshky during a temporary ceasefire brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump.
He said the operation had offered an opportunity for further progress towards peace, but Monday’s attack had sent the opposite message.
“With such killings, Russia is sending the exact opposite signal — Russia is counting on further killings,” he added.
Semikin described the incident as a terrible tragedy for the village, confirming that some residents remained trapped beneath the debris.
He said rescue teams were facing difficulties because of repeated Russian drone attacks in the area, which had forced them to suspend their operations several times.
A day of mourning was declared across the Zaporizhzhia region on Tuesday in honour of the victims.
The Russian military had not publicly commented on the reported attack as of the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to end the war are expected to continue, with representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the United States scheduled to resume peace talks in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, next week.
US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, announced the planned discussions in a post on X.
He said the talks would focus on post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts and further steps towards achieving peace.
Witkoff also disclosed that US negotiators would meet European and NATO officials in Brussels this week.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since peace negotiations were suspended in February, Moscow has intensified its attacks, while Ukraine has faced mounting challenges defending its territory against missile strikes amid shortages of Western-supplied interceptors.