Yaroslav Lukiv
Russian forces attacked an aid distribution center in the southern region of Zaporizhzhya on the 2nd, killing at least 26 people, Ukrainian authorities said.
According to Zaporizhzhya Oblast Governor Mykhailo Semikin, at least nine 3,000 kg bombs landed in the village of Komisvakha in the southern part of the region. Initially, five people were reported injured and 27 missing.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russian forces first targeted a local school used for humanitarian aid, before attacking the area where many people had taken refuge.
The president posted a video showing the huge hole left by the attack and rescue teams searching through the rubble.
The Russian military has not officially commented.
Image courtesy of the State Emergency Situations Agency of Ukraine
President Zelenskyy initially announced the death toll at 18, but Ukraine's State Emergency Situations Service (DSNS) later announced that 24 people were confirmed dead, including two rescue workers and four police officers.
The president later said in a video address on Sunday night that 26 people had been confirmed dead so far.
"There is no way that the Russian side did not know that the local residents who remained in Komisvach were receiving humanitarian aid there every week," Zelenskiy said. "This is yet another clear proof that Russia does not want the situation to calm down."
"With the steps that follow, we have an opportunity to show that peace is possible," Zelenskiy said after the recent successful joint Russian-Ukrainian operation to evacuate civilians from the Russian-occupied southern region of Oreshki.
"But with these killings, Russia is sending the exact opposite message: Russia is going to kill more and more," Zelenskiy said.
Image copyrightUkraine National Police
Meanwhile, Governor Semikin of Zaporizhzhya Oblast described the Russian attack as a "terrible tragedy" for the village and said "many people are still under the rubble."
The governor said rescue teams were working at the scene, but had to suspend operations multiple times due to a series of Russian drone attacks.
Zaporizhzhya Oblast declared the 3rd a day of state-wide mourning.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Delegations from Ukraine, Russia and the United States are expected to resume peace talks in the coming days, which were suspended in February. Russia has stepped up its attacks since February, when Ukraine has virtually exhausted the number of interceptor missiles it has received from Western countries to intercept missiles.
However, no major progress is expected at the talks scheduled to be held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
(English article Russian bombing kills 26 people at Ukraine aid center, Kyiv says)
