Dozens of civilians were killed in the southern Ukrainian village of Komyshuvakha when Russian forces dropped guided bombs on a former school and a nearby bomb shelter, Ukrainian officials reported. President Volodymyr Zelensky stated the death toll had risen to 40, with an additional 30 people potentially trapped in the rubble.
New footage captured the moments before the strike on Monday, showing villagers seeking refuge in a yellow building that had survived previous attacks. An armed soldier urged residents to descend into the basement, where they split into two rooms. The attack then plunged one room into darkness. The incident occurred as residents were awaiting humanitarian aid.
President Zelensky condemned the attack on social media, calling it a "war crime" and lamenting the world's limited reaction. He stressed the need for a strong response to Russian aggression. "Evil always goes further if it is left unanswered," he said.
Russian forces continued aerial assaults across Ukraine. Attacks on Wednesday caused power and water outages in Kyiv and surrounding regions. Emergency centers were established in affected areas to provide power and hot beverages. Kyiv's water utility later reported that city water supplies had been restored, and DTEK, the country's largest private energy company, announced an end to emergency power shutdowns in the capital.
Ukraine's air force reported that Russia launched over 310 drones overnight, including 81 powered by jets, and that 272 were downed or suppressed. Such attacks have become a regular feature of the conflict, despite international warrants for Russian officers accused of targeting civilian infrastructure.
Separately, the death toll from a Russian strike on an aid center in Komyshuvakha rose to 37, according to Mykhailo Semikin, acting head of the regional military administration. Ivan Fedorov, co-chair of the regional defense council, stated that 12 bodies had been identified so far, with the National Police of Ukraine collecting DNA samples for further identification.
This attack followed a six-day ceasefire in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in the Kherson region, which had allowed for resident evacuations. Meanwhile, officials from the U.S., Germany, France, Britain, NATO, and the European Union were scheduled to meet in Brussels to discuss security arrangements, reconstruction efforts, and economic opportunities for post-war Ukraine, ahead of new U.S.-brokered peace negotiations.