Russia on Monday bombed an aid distribution centre and neighbouring shelter in southern Ukraine, killing at least 26 people, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the country’s emergency services said.
Reported by:
Cherry Meigh Timbol
News Content Editor
Published November 3, 2026
KOMYSHUVAKHA, Ukraine – Russian aerial bombs hit an aid distribution center and a neighboring shelter in the southern Zaporizhzhia region on Monday, killing 26 people, Ukrainian officials said. Ukraine’s emergency services initially put the toll at 24, with two rescue crew members among the dead. The figure later rose to 26. The dead included two rescue crew members and four police officers, and five people were being treated in hospital. (Russia bombs aid center and shelter in southern Ukraine, killing 26, officials say +2)
What officials said happened. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 10 guided bombs targeted an area that included a school building used to distribute humanitarian aid and a nearby shelter.
He said the first strike was followed by a repeat strike with nine more bombs directly on the shelter where people had gathered. The school had no classes because the village is too close to the front line, and it served as a shelter and aid point. Zelenskyy said residents collected humanitarian packages there weekly, and that Russia could not have been unaware of this.
Rescue efforts. Regional police said officers and rescue teams were trying to reach residents believed to be trapped under rubble. As night fell, responders searched collapsed buildings with flashlights, according to images posted by local officials. Regina Kharchenko, secretary of the Zaporizhzhia City Council, said 27 people were missing.
Wider context. The strikes came as a limited ceasefire expired in Kherson, a separate southern region. That agreement had allowed humanitarian aid and evacuation missions into front-line areas in Russian-occupied territory. Zelenskyy said the attack showed that Russia does not want any de-escalation. Separately, Ukraine said its emergency-alert mobile app was working again after a temporary suspension, which Ukrainian officials attributed to a cyberattack.
Russian officials had not publicly responded in the reports reviewed. Both sides have denied deliberately targeting civilians in the war. Casualty figures come from Ukrainian authorities and have not been independently verified; they may change as rescue work continues.
