Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Monday that a Russian airstrike on a town in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region had killed 18 people and injured five others. The airstrike targeted the town of Komyshuvakha, with Zelenskyy stating that a school being used to distribute humanitarian aid to residents was hit. According to Zelenskyy, the town came under a series of Russian air raids starting early Monday morning.
The airstrike on the school was part of a larger attack on the town, with Zelenskyy saying that Russian forces launched a new assault using nine aerial bombs, targeting a shelter where residents had sought refuge from the raids. The Ukrainian president described the attack as "extremely horrific" and stated that rescue operations and searches for potential survivors trapped under the rubble were ongoing.
Zelenskyy accused Russian forces of deliberately targeting civilians, noting that they were aware that the school was being used weekly to distribute humanitarian aid to residents remaining in the town. He asserted that the attack was further evidence that Russia does not want to de-escalate or achieve genuine peace. The Ukrainian president called on the international community to take a strong stance against Russia and continue supporting Ukraine to protect civilians.
The airstrike occurred amid an escalation of Russian attacks on the Zaporizhzhia region, which has seen ongoing clashes since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022. Local Ukrainian authorities reported that 52 towns and sites in the Zaporizhzhia region had come under nearly 939 Russian attacks in the previous 24 hours, including air raids, drone strikes, and artillery fire.
The attacks resulted in damage to homes, vehicles, and infrastructure facilities, with the situation remaining dire near the front lines. This escalation came as a limited humanitarian ceasefire in a town in the Kherson region, which had been under Russian control, had just ended. The ceasefire had allowed for the delivery of aid and the evacuation of hundreds of civilians.
According to reports, around 700 people left the town during the humanitarian operation, which provided relief after years of shortages of food, water, and medicine. The development took place as the US seeks to revive negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv, with a potential round of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi scheduled for this month.
While there was no immediate comment from Russia on Zelenskyy's allegations, the Ukrainian president's office reported that an updated death toll of 18 had been confirmed, in addition to five injured in the airstrike on Komyshuvakha.
Key points
- 18 people were killed and 5 injured in a Russian airstrike on a school-turned-aid center in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region.
- The airstrike was part of a larger attack on the town of Komyshuvakha, with Russian forces launching multiple air raids and targeting a shelter.
- The attack was condemned by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians and called for a stronger international response.
