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Russian bombs kill at least 33 at Ukrainian school used for aid handouts

A second wave of guided bombs hit the shelter where people had taken cover, President Zelensky said, calling it one of Russia's largest massacres of the war.

By Feany, Senior Reporter

· 2 min read

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In this article
  1. Two waves of bombs
  2. 'One of the largest massacres'
  3. A front-line village
  4. The wider picture

Russian guided bombs struck a school used to hand out humanitarian aid in the village of Komyshuvakha in southern Ukraine, killing at least 33 people, Ukrainian officials said, in one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in months.

The strike happened on Monday, November 2, when residents had gathered for the weekly aid distribution. Dozens of people were reported missing as rescuers searched the rubble.

Two waves of bombs

President Volodymyr Zelensky said the first bombs hit as people were arriving. "The Russians struck first just as people were arriving – a few aerial bombs," he said. "Then there was a second strike – more air bombs, this time on the shelter."

The regional governor, Mykhailo Semikin, said Russian forces used at least nine guided aerial bombs, starting with KAB-500s and then much heavier FAB-3000 bombs, which weigh about three tonnes.

Among the dead were two rescue workers, both aged 44, and a local official who travelled to the village every Monday to sort and distribute aid, according to Ukrainian authorities.

'One of the largest massacres'

Zelensky called the attack "one of the largest massacres committed by Russia in this war". Zaporizhzhia authorities declared three days of mourning, from November 3 to 5. The United Nations condemned the strike.

Russia's defence ministry said its forces had targeted Ukrainian military units in areas around Komyshuvakha and two other settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region.

A front-line village

Komyshuvakha lies about 20km from the front line and has been repeatedly hit by Russian guided bombs. Aid distributions there have been targeted before: in June, a drone struck while aid was being handed out, wounding four people.

Guided aerial bombs, which are dropped from aircraft and glide to their targets from many kilometres away, have become one of Russia's most destructive weapons in the war, and are hard for Ukraine's air defences to stop.

The wider picture

The attack came as a local ceasefire around the town of Oleshky, brokered by the United States, expired, and amid a wave of Russian missile and drone attacks across nine Ukrainian regions. It is likely to increase pressure on Ukraine's allies to deliver more air defence systems.

Sources and references

  1. 1.'Exceptionally horrific strike': Russian bombs hit school used as humanitarian aid center — The Kyiv Independent
  2. 2.Russia bombs school used as aid distribution point, killing at least 33 — The Globe and Mail
  3. 3.Russia bombs aid center and shelter in southern Ukraine — Associated Press via The Korea Times

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