Russian forces bombed a school in the village of Komyshuvakha in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region on Monday, killing at least 24 people, Ukraine’s emergency services reported. Two members of a rescue crew were among the dead.
President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russian forces initially dropped aerial bombs on the school, which served as a distribution point for humanitarian assistance. He added that a second strike with nine more bombs targeted the shelter where people had gathered.
"The Russians could not have been unaware that every week residents who have remained in Komyshuvakha were receiving assistance right there," Zelensky wrote, calling the attack proof that Russia seeks no de-escalation or justice.
The village is located southeast of the region’s main city, also named Zaporizhzhia.
Regina Kharchenko, secretary of the Zaporizhzhia City Council, reported that 27 people were missing following the attack. Zaporizhzhia region police stated that their officers and rescue teams were attempting to reach residents believed to be trapped under rubble.
Photographs from the scene show smoldering debris scattered across the area. The attack occurred one day after the expiration of a six-day local ceasefire that had been brokered to bring aid to the city of Oleshky in the Kherson region and evacuate residents.
