Russian Bombing Kills 26 at Aid Distribution Site in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Region, Officials Say

Russian forces bombed a school in the village of Komyshuvakha in southeastern Ukraine on Monday, killing at least 26 people, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the country’s emergency services.

The school held no classes, Zelensky said, because the village lies too close to the front line in the Zaporizhzhia region. The building was used as a shelter and as a place where residents who stayed in the village collected humanitarian packages every Monday.

Two members of a rescue crew and four police officers were among the dead, the emergency services said. Five people were being treated in hospitals, including two rescue workers.

Two strikes, then a search under fire

In his nightly video address, Zelensky said Russian forces first dropped aerial bombs on the school just as people were arriving, then struck a second time at the shelter where people had gathered. He called the attack “a vile terrorist strike.”

Ukrainian officials said at least nine 3,000-kg aerial bombs struck the village. Regina Kharchenko, secretary of the Zaporizhzhia City Council, said 27 people were reported missing. Regional head Mykhailo Semikin said people were still under the rubble, and rescue work was repeatedly interrupted by the threat of Russian drone attacks.

The Russian military had not publicly commented on the attack, The Business Standard reported.

Talks planned in Abu Dhabi next week

The attack came a day after a six-day local ceasefire ended. That ceasefire had allowed aid to reach the town of Oleshky and residents to leave, in a mission Reuters described as brokered by U.S. First Lady Melania Trump. Zelensky said the attack showed Russia did not want de-escalation. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, citing the attack, urged countries to shun Russian participation in top-level sport after sport’s highest court ordered the country’s reinstatement in major tournaments.

The attack also came days before talks planned in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11, where a senior U.S. official told Reuters that the United States will bring together delegations from Ukraine and Russia to discuss moves toward ending the war, post-war security agreements, and de-escalation. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said the discussions would cover post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts, and next steps toward peace.

Regional officials declared Tuesday a day of mourning across the Zaporizhzhia region, and warned the death toll could rise as crews kept searching the rubble.

Reporting based on coverage by Reuters and The Business Standard, which cited BBC reporting.