Zelensky says toll from Russian aid centre strike hits 40

The number of people killed in Monday's Russian bombing of an aid distribution point and shelter in the village of Komyshuvakha, in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, rose to 40 on Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Dozens of people are still missing, and he said "more than 30 people may still be under the rubble". Reuters described it as one of the deadliest strikes on civilians this year. It came less than a week before US-led peace talks in Abu Dhabi.bssnews.net+1

Bombs hit aid recipients, then responders

Zelensky said Russia dropped nine bombs on Komyshuvakha. "First, they hit people who came to receive humanitarian aid, and then rescuers and police officers who arrived at the scene," he wrote. The target was a former school. Classes there had long been suspended because the village is close to the front line, but the building served as a shelter and handed out aid every Monday. Emergency services said four police officers and two rescue workers were among the dead. Ukraine's emergency service named the two rescuers as Denys Konovalenko and Oleksii Sushchevskyi, both 44.reuters.com+2

Ivan Fedorov, co-head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Defense Council, said 59 people were missing. Earlier on Wednesday, regional police said only 12 of the recovered bodies had been identified, so some of the missing may already be among the dead. Specialists are collecting DNA samples from bodies that cannot be identified by sight.u.aa.com.tr+1

Russia's Defence Ministry said the strike targeted Ukrainian military units around Komyshuvakha and two other settlements, and claimed that up to 25 Ukrainian servicemen were killed. Both countries deny deliberately targeting civilians.reuters.com

Bodycam footage of the second strike

On Wednesday, Ukraine's national police released footage from a body camera worn by one of the officers killed in the attack. It shows residents heading into an underground shelter after a radio warning that more glide bombs were on the way. Seconds later, the shelter is hit and the recording stops. Reuters verified the video. Police said the bombs included a 3-ton FAB glide bomb.bbc.com+1

Strike comes ahead of Abu Dhabi talks

The attack came a day after a six-day ceasefire ended. The truce, brokered by US first lady Melania Trump, allowed civilians to be evacuated from Oleshky, a town under Russian occupation. US envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington will bring Ukrainian and Russian delegations together in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11.nbcnews.com

Zelensky renewed his call for air defense support. "Unfortunately, there has been very little reaction from the world to this insane attack," he wrote, adding that "evil always goes further if it is left unanswered".cbsnews.com