Russian Strike on Ukrainian Aid Site Kills at Least 33, with Dozens Still Missing

Russian forces struck a former school building used as an aid distribution point in the village of Komyshuvakha in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region on November 2, 2026. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack killed 33 people, with more than 50 possibly still under the rubble. Later reports raised the confirmed death toll to 37 or 40, with dozens missing.

The building had served as a weekly aid hub and shelter near the front line. Ukrainian officials said guided bombs hit the site and a nearby shelter in a double-tap pattern. Four police officers and two rescue workers were among the dead. Rescuers continued searching three days later. Some bodies could not be identified visually, so DNA samples are being collected from relatives.

The strike followed a brief local ceasefire in the Kherson region that had allowed a humanitarian mission. Russia said the target was Ukrainian military units and claimed up to 25 servicemen killed. Zelenskyy called the attack one of the worst of the war and said the world had offered little reaction.

Separately, Russia launched large overnight waves of drones and missiles against energy infrastructure across Ukraine. One barrage involved 289 drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles. Power plants and substations were hit from Odesa to Rivne. DTEK reported three of its five thermal plants knocked offline. Kyiv faced severe power and water outages. A hospital in Kharkiv was struck, wounding dozens, many of them elderly patients. A hospice in Dnipro was also hit.

These attacks occurred days before planned talks involving the United States, Ukraine and Russia. Zelenskyy has warned that Russia continues to target civilian sites and energy systems. Rescue operations in Komyshuvakha face risks from further strikes and difficult conditions.

The confirmed deaths and missing numbers place the Komyshuvakha strike among the deadliest single incidents against civilians in recent months. How the search concludes and whether talks proceed will shape the immediate outlook.