At least 31 people have been killed and 48 remain missing after Russian forces repeatedly bombed a school being used to distribute humanitarian aid in southern Ukraine, in an attack that President Volodymyr Zelensky described as exceptionally horrific.
The strikes hit Komyshuvakha, in Zaporizhzhia region, on November 2, destroying part of the school complex and killing civilians alongside emergency personnel who had arrived to help survivors. Search and rescue operations were continuing on Tuesday morning, as authorities warned the death toll could rise.
Two rescue workers and four police officers were among those killed, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (DSNS). Five people, including two further rescue workers, were injured.
Zelensky said Russian aircraft had launched several aerial bomb attacks on the settlement throughout the morning, initially hitting the school where local residents regularly collected humanitarian supplies.
After the first strike, Russian forces dropped another nine aerial bombs on a shelter where people had taken refuge, he said.
“Russian forces could not have been unaware that local residents who remained in Komyshuvakha received humanitarian aid there every week,” Zelensky said, accusing Moscow of deliberately targeting a location serving vulnerable civilians.
The DSNS said rescue workers and police officers had reached the scene when warnings emerged of another impending attack. Emergency personnel sought shelter, but further strikes hit the same area.
The assault destroyed a gymnasium, an outbuilding and a fire engine, while damaging the main school building.
Among those killed were rescue workers Denys Konovalenko and Oleksii Sushchevskyi, both 44. Konovalenko had served in Ukraine’s civil protection service for almost 12 years, while Sushchevskyi had worked in fire and rescue units across Zaporizhzhia since 2013.
Both men had received state awards for their service. They leave behind their wives and four children between them, the emergency service said.
“The scale of the tragedy is horrific. Behind every number lies a human life, a family that has lost its loved ones or is still waiting for news of their loved ones,” regional governor Mykhailo Semikin said.
Komyshuvakha lies about 20km from the front line and has been regarded as a front-line settlement since November 2025, amid repeated Russian attacks using guided aerial bombs.
Known as KABs, the weapons are fitted with wing kits that allow them to glide tens of kilometres towards targets. Their range enables Russian aircraft to strike settlements and infrastructure while remaining outside the reach of some Ukrainian air defences.
The attack underscores the growing danger facing communities near the front, where humanitarian facilities and emergency responders operate under the threat of repeated bombardment.
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