Russian bombing kills 26 at aid center in Komyshuvakha, Ukraine

At least 26 people were killed and five injured when Russian forces dropped a barrage of nine 3‑tonne aerial bombs on an aid‑distribution centre in the village of Komyshuvakha, in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region, on Monday. The strike hit a school that had been repurposed as a humanitarian hub and then a second blast struck a nearby shelter where survivors had gathered. Rescue teams found a massive crater and continued to pull bodies from the rubble, while 27 people were initially reported missing.

The attack comes as Ukraine’s war with Russia, which began with a full‑scale invasion in February 2022, has entered a particularly violent phase. Moscow has stepped up strikes after Kyiv’s stock of Western‑supplied air‑defence interceptors ran low, and the village was known to receive weekly aid deliveries, making it a predictable target. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the bombing “utterly horrific” and said the Russians could not have been unaware that civilians were gathering there for assistance. He added that the strike undermines recent hopes for de‑escalation following a joint Russian‑Ukrainian evacuation of civilians from the occupied city of Oleshky during a brief ceasefire.

Zelensky posted a video of the crater and said the death toll had risen from an initial 18 to 26, including two rescuers and four police officers. Regional head Mykhailo Semikin described the incident as a “terrible tragedy” and confirmed that rescue operations were repeatedly forced to pause because of Russian drone attacks in the area. A day of mourning was declared across the entire Zaporizhzhia region. The Russian military has not issued a comment on the bombing.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff announced that Ukrainian, Russian and American delegations will resume peace talks in Abu Dhabi next week, focusing on post‑war security, de‑escalation and humanitarian aid. He warned that no major breakthrough is expected, but the talks are intended to keep diplomatic channels open as fighting intensifies. The bombing underscores the fragile security environment and the difficulty of achieving a ceasefire while both sides continue to target civilian infrastructure.