Russian aerial bombs struck a school used for weekly aid distribution in the village of Komyshuvakha, in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, on Monday, November 2, 2026, killing at least 29 people, according to the BBC, which cited acting regional head Mykhailo Semikin. The Komyshuvakha strike came hours after a local ceasefire expired.
Semikin said at least nine 3,000kg aerial bombs hit the village, and reported 10 people injured and 48 missing, according to the BBC. The Moscow Times gives different figures for the injured and missing, saying five people were injured and almost 50 were missing.
Among the dead were two rescue workers and four police officers, according to Ukraine’s emergency services and Semikin, as reported by the Moscow Times. Search and rescue operations are ongoing, and people are still reported to be under the rubble.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called the attack a first strike followed by a second on the shelter, according to The Hindu. He said Russia could not have been unaware that residents gathered at the school for aid every week, and called the strike a "vile terrorist strike," according to the Moscow Times.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said the attack targeted Ukrainian military units around Komyshuvakha and two other settlements. It claimed up to 25 Ukrainian servicemen were killed, according to the Moscow Times. The ministry’s statement covers only the military targets it named.
The death toll differs across outlets. The Moscow Times reports at least 31 killed, citing regional officials. The BBC reports at least 29, citing Semikin on Tuesday. The Hindu reports at least 26, citing the acting governor and Kyiv on Monday. No single confirmed final figure appears in the sources reviewed.
The strike followed a six-day local ceasefire that expired on Sunday, November 1, 2026, according to The Hindu. The truce had enabled an evacuation from the occupied city of Oleshky. The ceasefire was brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump, and was the longest pause in the war since Russia’s 2022 invasion. Both sides reportedly reported no breaches.
Kyiv alleged that Moscow used the pause to fortify its positions. The Kremlin did not deny this. Dmitry Peskov called it "a completely normal practice."
The BBC reports that the Russian military has not publicly commented on the strike. Russia’s claim of 25 Ukrainian servicemen killed is unverified, and no independent source confirms it.
A day of mourning has been declared across Zaporizhzhia on Tuesday.
US-led talks between Russia and Ukraine are set to resume on November 10 and 11 in Abu Dhabi, according to US special envoy Steve Witkoff. He said no breakthrough is expected.
This report relies on excerpts from the Moscow Times, The Hindu and the BBC. Independent verification of the rescue efforts and site details was not available, and the casualty figures remain unconfirmed.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.