At least 26 people were killed after Russian aerial bombs struck a humanitarian aid distribution centre in Ukraine, in what President Volodymyr Zelensky described as an “utterly horrific” attack.
The strike targeted the village of Komyshuvakha in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, where at least nine 3,000kg aerial bombs hit the area, according to regional governor Mykhailo Semikin. Five people were injured, while 27 others were initially reported missing, BBC reports.
Semikin said the first bomb hit a local school that was being used for humanitarian purposes, while a second strike targeted an area where residents had taken shelter. Zelensky shared a video showing a massive crater at the site and rescuers searching through the rubble.
The Russian military has not publicly commented on the incident.
Zelensky first reported 18 deaths, but Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (DSNS) later confirmed that 24 people, including two rescuers and four police officers, had been killed. In a video address later on Monday, the Ukrainian president said the death toll had risen to 26.
He said Russian forces would have known that local residents gathered at the site every Monday to receive humanitarian assistance.
“This is yet another proof that Russia does not want any de-escalation,” Zelensky said.
Referring to a recent joint Russian-Ukrainian effort to evacuate civilians from the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky during a temporary ceasefire brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump, Zelensky said there had been hope that further steps could demonstrate the possibility of peace.
“With such killings, Russia is sending the exact opposite signal. Russia is counting on further killings,” he said.
Semikin described the strike as a “terrible tragedy” and said people remained trapped beneath the rubble. Rescue operations have continued, although teams have repeatedly been forced to suspend their work because of Russian drone activity in the area.
Authorities have declared Tuesday a day of mourning across the Zaporizhzhia region.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Meanwhile, delegations from Ukraine, Russia and the United States are expected to resume peace talks in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, next week, according to US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff.
The negotiations were suspended in February. Since then, Moscow has intensified its attacks as Kyiv has nearly exhausted its stock of Western-supplied missile interceptors.
No major breakthrough is anticipated at the upcoming talks. Witkoff said discussions would focus on post-war security arrangements, de-escalation measures, humanitarian issues and potential next steps toward peace. He added that US negotiators would also meet European and NATO officials in Brussels this week.
