A school turned into an aid point
Russian aircraft dropped at least nine bombs on Komyshuvakha, a village in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region, on Monday. Ukrainian civil defence authorities said a school that residents used to collect humanitarian aid was hit. Officials first reported 24 dead and five injured, and the count later rose to 26 as rescue teams worked through the rubble.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the settlement had been struck several times over the course of the day. He called it an utterly horrific Russian attack and said it was further proof that Russia wants no de-escalation and no real justice.
Villagers described a strike that arrived without warning in the middle of the morning, when people had gathered for food and supplies. Emergency crews from neighbouring districts were sent to help clear the site.
A strike in the middle of a diplomatic opening
The bombing came days after US President Donald Trump announced a deal that eases sanctions so Russian diesel can be imported. Zelensky called that arrangement a gift to Moscow, and said the attack showed what Russia does with signs of leniency.
It also followed a short pause in fighting. A six-day truce in the Kherson region, the longest of the war, ended with combat returning to the area. Officials on both sides traded blame for the collapse, and the wider front line has changed little.
Why this village matters
Komyshuvakha sits in a district that Russian forces have hit repeatedly with glide bombs, which are cheap to launch from aircraft well behind the front and hard to stop once released. Zaporizhzhia city, home to more than 700,000 people, is about 16km from the front line and has been struck several times this autumn. An attack on the city on 10 October killed 15 people, including three children.
Ukrainian officials say the pattern is deliberate: strikes on aid distribution points, schools and markets push people away from their homes and complicate the winter. Moscow has not commented on the Komyshuvakha strike. Independent verification of casualty figures inside occupied and contested areas remains difficult, and the toll may rise as debris is cleared.