In a devastating surge of violence, Russian strikes across Ukraine have killed at least 38 civilians and injured many more in the past 24 hours, with attacks hitting an aid distribution centre, a hospice, and a hospital. The bloodshed comes as the United Nations warns that civilian casualties in Ukraine have reached a record level.
Deadly Attack on Aid Centre in Zaporizhzhia
The deadliest single incident occurred in the village of Komyshuvakha in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, where a glide bomb attack on Monday night killed at least 33 people. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the toll could rise further, as more than 50 people may still be trapped under the rubble. He described the strike as "one of the largest mass killings committed by Russia during this war."
According to local authorities, nine 3,000kg aerial bombs struck the village as residents gathered to receive humanitarian aid at a distribution centre housed in a school building. Witnesses reported that people took refuge underground when the attack began, but the roof collapsed, trapping many beneath. "The scale of the tragedy is difficult to comprehend," said Mykhailo Semikin, the regional head.
Russia's defense ministry claimed the attack targeted Ukrainian military units and killed 25 servicemen. However, BBC News Russian defense correspondent Ilya Abishev reported that there is no credible evidence the site was used by the military, and there were no major military or industrial facilities in Komyshuvakha. The UN human rights monitoring mission noted that the aid distribution at the school had been highly publicized and that the attack "seems to have violated the most fundamental principles of international humanitarian law."
Hospice and Hospital Hit in Separate Strikes
In the central city of Dnipro, a Russian missile destroyed a hospice, forcing nearly 50 terminally ill patients to evacuate. The oldest patient was 90 years old. Mayor Boris Filatov posted photos on Telegram showing elderly people lying in beds amid blown-out windows and debris. "I realize that I am violating ethics," he wrote. "I want as many people as possible to see these photos. Especially politicians and diplomats. Especially abroad. These are elderly, terminally ill people. This is a Russian missile."
Another strike in Dnipro killed two people and wounded 18 others. In the north-eastern city of Kharkiv, a hospital was hit, leaving 73 people wounded, most of them elderly patients, according to Zelensky. In the eastern Donetsk region, aerial bombs and drones killed five more people.
Energy Infrastructure Targeted, Water and Heat Cut
Russia also struck energy infrastructure in nine regions, disrupting water and heating supplies. The water supply in Kyiv was completely cut off due to damage to the capital's energy infrastructure, according to Kyivvodokanal, the main water supplier. The entire metro network was suspended on Tuesday, and Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the situation with the city's power supply was becoming "very difficult."
Peace Talks Announced Amid Escalation
As Ukraine counted its dead, the Kremlin announced it would participate in three-way peace talks with Ukraine brokered by the United States in Abu Dhabi on 10-11 November. It would be the first trilateral meeting since February. US President Donald Trump has announced a deal to import Russian diesel, and US First Lady Melania Trump, credited with brokering a truce last week in the besieged town of Oleshky, is set to host representatives of Russia and Ukraine at the White House on Thursday.
Speaking in Berlin on Tuesday, Zelensky stressed the importance of Russia engaging seriously in negotiations on a ceasefire and a peaceful settlement, but said he had not seen "any indication" of that so far. Previous rounds of ceasefire talks late last year yielded no results, and Russian officials have generally refused to budge from Moscow's maximalist demand of effective Ukrainian surrender.
The UN said last month that civilian casualties in Ukraine had reached a "record level" as Russian forces resumed systematic attacks on energy infrastructure. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Its advances on the front line have since stalled, and attacks have intensified, with Moscow employing large numbers of missiles and drones to strike Ukrainian cities. At the same time, Ukraine faces a critical air defense shortage due to stalled Western weapons deliveries and a lack of American Patriot interceptor missiles.
In Berlin, Zelensky acknowledged that although the front line was stable, "the situation in the air was not as positive, particularly when it comes to our air defence capabilities and the protection of our civilian population."
