Russian strike kills 31 at Ukrainian aid site
Rescuers search for 45 missing people in Zaporizhzhia region as Ukraine prepares for peace talks in Abu Dhabi.
By Sanjay Caldwell ·
At least 31 people died in a Russian missile strike on an aid facility and shelter in the village of Komyshuvakha, Ukraine, on Monday night. More than 45 residents remained missing as of Tuesday. Emergency workers and volunteers searched the debris for survivors in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. Bodies were removed from the rubble wrapped in white plastic sheeting.
Mykhailo Semikin, the acting head of the regional military administration, called the event one of the worst tragedies in the area since the war began. He said the attack used bunker-busting bombs containing nearly 1.5 tons of explosives each. The dead included four police officers and two rescue workers. At least five other people were injured. Zaporizhzhia declared three days of mourning.
The strike was part of a larger overnight barrage that targeted power plants across nine regions. Russia launched 289 attack drones, 17 ballistic missiles, and 59 cruise missiles. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack coincided with U.S. elections. He stated that Russia believed America would not notice the signal, but Ukraine needed to stop the terror. He urged allies to help defend Ukrainian skies.
In Kharkiv, a combined missile and drone attack wounded at least 62 people. A medical facility was damaged, and windows in four apartment buildings were shattered. More than 200 patients were transferred to other hospitals. In the Dnipro area, one person was killed and 17 were wounded. Rescuers pulled a woman alive from the rubble on Tuesday morning.
Ukraine’s energy ministry reported 20 strikes on energy infrastructure in 10 regions. Three power plants operated by DTEK halted operations due to damage. No injuries were reported at the plants. Rolling blackouts were implemented in parts of Russian-occupied Crimea. Moscow said its defenses shot down 856 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 493 aimed at the Russian capital.
Zelenskyy traveled to Germany on Tuesday to meet with European leaders. The U.S. and Russia have agreed to hold talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11. Steve Witkoff, a special envoy for President Donald Trump, confirmed the dates. The talks will focus on postwar security and humanitarian efforts. The European Commission will host a meeting with officials from several nations on Wednesday to discuss reconstruction.
The Kremlin confirmed that a Russian delegation will attend the Abu Dhabi talks. This will be the first three-way negotiation since February. The European Commission did not say if Zelenskyy would attend the Wednesday reconstruction meeting.
