At least 24 people were killed and 27 others are missing after Russian forces struck a village in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region, according to Ukrainian officials. Regional head Mykhailo Semikin reported that at least nine aerial bombs hit the village of Komyshuvakha, with initial reports stating 18 people were killed while waiting for humanitarian aid.
President Volodymyr Zelensky described the attack as "utterly horrific," stating that the first strike hit a local school used for humanitarian purposes, followed by a second attack on a shelter. He posted a video showing a large crater and rescue teams searching through the rubble.
"The Russians could not have been unaware that the local residents who remained in Komyshuvakha received humanitarian aid there every week," Zelensky said on social media, calling the incident "another proof that Russia does not want any de-escalation." He suggested that following a recent successful joint Russian-Ukrainian operation to evacuate civilians from Oleshky, there was a potential for peace, but that such killings signaled the opposite.
Rescue teams were working at the scene, with officials confirming people were still trapped under the rubble. The Russian military has not yet commented on the incident. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.