At least 33 killed as Russian bombs collapse reinforced school shelter in Ukraine

Russian forces dropped at least nine bombs on a reinforced basement shelter in the village of Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia region, killing a minimum of 33 people and leaving about 50 others unaccounted for, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday. The shelter, originally built with EU funding to protect a school and later used as an administrative and humanitarian aid centre, collapsed after the explosions, and a fire broke out, local governor Mykhailo Semikin reported.

Semikin said the bombs, identified as KAB-500 and FAB-3000, were designed to destroy heavy concrete fortifications, and their impact caused the structure to give way. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine noted that the attack occurred while civilians were gathering for aid distribution, calling the timing “well publicized” and suggesting a breach of international humanitarian law.

Zelensky linked the strike to a broader Russian campaign that included a large drone and missile barrage targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, and urged the United States to help defend Ukrainian skies. He also highlighted the coincidence of the attack with the U.S. congressional elections, stating that “such terror must be noticed and stopped.”

The incident follows a pattern of Russian attacks that first strike a target, wait for emergency responders, and then hit again. Two first responders, Denys Konovalenko and Oleksiy Sushchevsky, and four police officers were among those killed while assisting civilians. The latest strike adds to a series of deadly attacks on Ukrainian civilians in recent months.