KYIV,Nov 4:
The death toll from a Russian strike on a humanitarian aid distribution centre and shelter in southern Ukraine has risen to 31, with more than 45 people still missing, as rescue teams continued searching through the rubble on Tuesday. The attack in Komyushuvakha village in the Zaporizhzhia region has become one of the deadliest incidents involving civilians in the area since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
Emergency workers and volunteers continued search operations at the destroyed facility, where residents had gathered to receive humanitarian assistance. Rescue teams recovered additional bodies from the debris, while authorities expressed concern that more people could be trapped beneath the collapsed structure. The regional military administration described the incident as one of the worst tragedies involving civilian casualties in the region. Three days of mourning have been declared in Zaporizhzhia.
The attack was part of a wider wave of Russian strikes across Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces launched 289 attack drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles across nine regions. The barrage caused widespread damage to energy infrastructure and triggered emergency power cuts. Zelenskyy called on Western allies to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence capabilities, warning that the continued attacks threatened civilian lives and critical infrastructure.
The northeastern Kharkiv region was among the worst affected, with at least 62 people wounded in a combined missile and drone attack. A medical facility in the Nemyshlianskyi district was damaged, while four apartment buildings and several vehicles suffered damage. More than 200 patients had to be transferred to other medical facilities. In the Dnipro region, one person was killed and 17 others injured after another strike damaged a hospital and an outpatient clinic. Rescue workers pulled a woman alive from the rubble.
Russia also intensified attacks on Ukraine’s electricity network ahead of the winter season. The country’s Energy Ministry reported 20 strikes on energy facilities across 10 regions overnight. Power utility DTEK said three of its power plants had suspended operations following significant damage, although no injuries were reported at those facilities. The attacks have raised concerns over electricity shortages and the impact on households and essential services as temperatures begin to fall.
Meanwhile, Moscow claimed that its air defences had intercepted 856 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 493 allegedly directed towards the Russian capital. A Ukrainian drone strike also wounded two employees at an oil refinery in Yaroslavl, according to regional authorities. Russian-installed officials in Crimea reported rolling power cuts across parts of the peninsula following attacks on energy infrastructure. The latest escalation comes ahead of planned Ukraine-US talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11, with the continuing attacks underscoring the challenges facing diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.