Russian strikes on Ukraine aid centre kill 26, Kyiv says

At least 26 people were killed and five injured when at least nine Russian aerial bombs struck an aid distribution centre in the village of Komyshuvakha in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region on Monday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Twenty-seven people were initially reported missing.

How many people died in Komyshuvakha?

Zelensky first put the death toll at 18. Ukraine’s state emergencies service, DSNS, then said 24 people were confirmed killed, among them two rescuers and four police officers. In his video address late on Monday, Zelensky said 26 people were now known to have died. Mykhailo Semikin, the regional head, said five people were injured and 27 were initially reported missing.

Semikin called the attack a “terrible tragedy” for the village and said “people are still under the rubble”. Rescue teams were forced to halt work several times because of Russian drone attacks in the area, he said. A day of mourning has been declared for Tuesday across the Zaporizhzhia region.

What happened at the aid centre?

At least nine 3,000kg aerial bombs hit Komyshuvakha, according to Semikin. Zelensky said that after the first strike on the local school, “used for humanitarian needs”, there was a second attack on the place where people were sheltering. He posted a video showing a huge crater left by the attack and rescue teams searching through the rubble.

Zelensky said “the Russians could not have been unaware that the local residents who remained in Komyshuvakha received humanitarian aid there every week” on Mondays. “This is yet another proof that Russia does not want any de-escalation,” he said. The Russian military has not publicly commented.

What did Zelensky say about peace prospects?

Zelensky linked the strike to a recent joint Russian-Ukrainian operation that evacuated civilians from the Russian-occupied southern city of Oleshky during a temporary ceasefire brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump, under which hundreds left Russian-occupied Oleshky. “There was a moment when the next steps could show that peace is possible,” he said. “With such killings, Russia is sending the exact opposite signal – Russia is counting on further killings.”

What are the Abu Dhabi peace talks?

Teams from Ukraine, Russia and the United States are due to resume peace talks in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates next week, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said on X. Witkoff said the discussions would focus on “post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts, and next steps toward peace”. No major breakthrough is expected.

Since the talks were suspended in February, Moscow has stepped up attacks as Kyiv has virtually run out of Western-supplied interceptors to defend against missiles, while Russian strikes have cut power across Ukraine. The US has approved a $2.1bn sale of 500 Patriot missiles to Ukraine. Witkoff said US negotiators would also meet European and Nato officials in Brussels this week. Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Frequently asked questions

How many people were killed in the Komyshuvakha aid centre strike?

President Volodymyr Zelensky said 26 people were known to have died after Monday’s attack. Ukraine’s state emergencies service had earlier confirmed 24 deaths, including two rescuers and four police officers.

Has Russia commented on the Komyshuvakha attack?

The Russian military has not publicly commented on the bombing of the village in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region.

When are the Ukraine-Russia-US peace talks in Abu Dhabi?

US special envoy Steve Witkoff said the teams are due to resume talks in Abu Dhabi next week, focused on post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts and next steps toward peace. No major breakthrough is expected.

Why did Zelensky mention Oleshky after the strike?

Zelensky said a recent US-brokered ceasefire had allowed civilians to leave Russian-occupied Oleshky, and argued that the Komyshuvakha killings showed Russia was not seeking de-escalation.

With reporting from BBC News.

Stock image, not from the events described. Globe World — Jo%E3o%20Silas / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)