Russian Aerial Bombs Destroy Humanitarian Aid Center in Ukraine, Killing Dozens
Russian aerial bombs struck a humanitarian aid distribution center in Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia region, killing at least 31 people and trapping dozens under rubble. The attack was part of a broader wave of strikes across nine Ukrainian regions that also hit a hospice in Dnipro and a hospital in Kharkiv.
At least 31 people were killed when Russian aerial bombs struck a humanitarian aid distribution center in the village of Komyshuvakha in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region on Monday, marking one of the deadliest attacks in the area since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Reports on the exact toll vary, with China News Service reporting 26 deaths, five injuries, and 27 missing persons as of early November 3, while other assessments indicate more than 50 people could be trapped under the rubble.
Mykhailo Semikin stated that at least nine 3,000-kilogram aerial bombs hit Komyshuvakha, causing the school building used for weekly aid distribution to collapse from a direct hit. Among the dead are two rescuers and four police officers. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the attack "utterly horrific" and noted that people remained under the rubble. He also reported a second attack on the location where residents were sheltering after the initial strike.
Rescue teams were forced to halt their searches due to subsequent Russian drone attacks in the area. Three days of mourning have been declared in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Russia's defense ministry claimed the attack targeted Ukrainian military units and killed 25 servicemen. However, BBC reporting found no credible evidence of military use at the site. The UN human rights monitoring mission stated the attack appeared to violate fundamental principles of international humanitarian law, given the publicized nature of the aid distribution.
The Komyshuvakha strike was part of a massive wave of Russian attacks across nine regions. Russia launched 289 attack drones, 17 ballistic missiles, and 59 cruise missiles. A separate report indicates that at least 38 civilians were killed over a 24-hour period in strikes that included the aid center, a hospice in Dnipro, and a hospital in Kharkiv.
In Dnipro, a Russian missile destroyed a hospice, forcing the transfer of nearly 50 terminally ill patients. In Kharkiv, a hospital was hit, wounding 73 people, most of them elderly patients. In Kyiv, attacks on energy infrastructure entirely cut off the water supply and suspended the metro network.
These strikes occurred shortly after a temporary ceasefire in Oleshky, brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump to allow civilian evacuations, came to an end. Peace talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States are scheduled to resume in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11.