Death toll hits 40 in southern Ukraine as Russian strikes cut Kyiv power

The death toll from a Russian strike on the village of Komyshuvakha reached 40 on Wednesday, marking one of the deadliest attacks in the conflict since it began nearly five years ago. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the figure while also reporting that 30 additional people may still be buried beneath the debris. The strike occurred on Monday when multiple guided bombs hit a former school and a nearby shelter in the Zaporizhzhia region. Residents had been using the site to wait for humanitarian aid at the time of the impact.

Zelenskyy described the incident in a post on X, stating that the world had shown little reaction to what he called an insane attack. He argued that the strike, along with thousands of other war crimes committed by Russia, demands a strong response. The president warned that evil goes further if it is left unanswered. Search operations in the village have been hampered by ongoing drone attacks, according to Mykhailo Semikin, the acting head of the regional military administration. Semikin confirmed that rescue efforts would continue despite the danger.

Ivan Fedorov, co-chair of the regional defense council, said that 12 bodies recovered from the rubble had been identified. The National Police of Ukraine noted that visual identification was not possible for some victims. Specialists are working with relatives to collect DNA samples to confirm identities. Body camera footage from a police officer killed in the attack captures the moment of impact. The video shows the officer descending stairs into the shelter after the nearby aid center was struck. He is heard urging survivors to move down, asking why they are gathering above. The recording cuts to black moments after he enters the low-ceilinged room.

Meanwhile, Russian aerial assaults disrupted daily life in Kyiv and surrounding areas on Wednesday. The attacks caused power and water outages that lasted for several hours. Before utilities were restored, residents in the capital were advised to use public drinking fountains. Emergency centers were established in the worst-hit zones to provide hot tea and electrical outlets for charging devices. Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 310 drones overnight, including 81 jet-powered models. The air force stated that it downed or suppressed 272 of these drones.

In Brussels, officials from the United States, Germany, France, Britain, NATO, the World Bank, and the European Union met to discuss postwar reconstruction for Ukraine. The European Commission said the closed-door meeting focused on refining scenarios for the country’s economic development. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stated that the discussions aimed to address European demands for Russian concessions in future negotiations. She noted that previous talks had focused primarily on what Ukraine should give away. The meeting took place ahead of a new round of U.S.-brokered peace negotiations scheduled for next week.

Zelenskyy also awarded U.S. First Lady Melania Trump the Order of Princess Olga, 1st class. The honor recognizes women who have made outstanding contributions to the Ukrainian state. The presidential website credited Trump with brokering a six-day ceasefire in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in Kherson region. That truce, described as the most significant since 2022, allowed residents to evacuate the city. The Kremlin expressed hope that President Donald Trump would continue his efforts to end the war regardless of the U.S. midterm election results, where Democrats took control of Congress.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine announced a new criminal plot involving senior officials from the security service, prosecutor general’s office, and national police. Investigators alleged these officials took kickbacks from the criminal underworld to protect fraudulent call centers, drug sales, and illegal cigarette and currency operations. This finding follows the September resignation of former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, who stepped down after a subordinate was accused of running a similar scheme. Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed it shot down 709 Ukrainian drones overnight. The online retailer Ozon reported that a drone attack caused a fire at its logistics center in Adygeysk, though no casualties were reported.