At least 55 dead in village as Russian drones hit rescue workers
Ukrainian officials report that a second wave of strikes in Komyshuvakha targeted emergency crews responding to an earlier bomb attack.
By Julian Schulz ·
Russian drones struck emergency personnel in the village of Komyshuvakha on Sunday, killing at least 55 people and damaging specialized rescue equipment. The attack occurred in the Zaporizhzhia region, near the front line, after Russian guided bombs had already destroyed a former school and a nearby shelter earlier that day.
Ukrainian authorities described the incident as a double tap strike. The initial explosion caused by aerial bombs forced residents to seek refuge in the underground facility. As emergency crews arrived to assist, a second wave of attacks hit the same location. The State Emergency Service reported that no one was injured in the Sunday strike, but the destruction of the earlier site left many residents trapped or missing.
Approximately 50 people remain unaccounted for, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, the HUR. DNA analysis is ongoing for the recovered bodies, many of which have not yet been identified. Mykola Krasnov, a 72-year-old resident, said he is still searching for his wife. She had gone to collect humanitarian aid when a three-ton bomb struck the area. Krasnov noted that her body has not been found at the site, in the morgue, or elsewhere in the village.
Police in Zaporizhzhia held a farewell ceremony on Saturday for six officers killed in the strikes. Four of the officers died near the former school. Rain fell during the service as families wept beside the coffins. Andrii Khomenko, a police lieutenant colonel, said the officers used every skill available to protect themselves. He noted that when an enemy deliberately gathers civilians in one place and strikes them, no amount of skill can guarantee safety.
Yuliia Nykonenko, a senior police lieutenant, stated that the officers risked their lives to save others, including children. She recalled that the group had previously escaped a Russian FPV drone together. Three other residents were buried nearby in the Zaporizhzhia cemetery, where authorities plan to create a memorial.
Yurii Karapetian, a community leader, lost his wife, Natalia Karapetian, in the attack. She was distributing bread to residents in the shelter when the bombs fell. Karapetian described the pain as unbearable. He said his wife stayed in Komyshuvakha to help elderly residents living alone. He urged the international community to intervene, stating that Russia will not stop at Ukraine if it is not stopped.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack on emergency crews an act of absolute cynicism and brutality. On Sunday, he reported that overnight strikes on energy infrastructure in the Dnipropetrovsk region left more than 600,000 people without power. Zelenskyy said Russia launched 115 missiles, 1,900 guided aerial bombs, and more than 3,000 drones against Ukraine in the past week.
Zelenskyy noted that many of the missiles used were produced this year. He called on Kyiv’s partners to sanction entities involved in their production. He argued that if the world lacks enough anti-ballistic capabilities to protect Ukrainian skies, the missiles must be stopped on the production lines. He urged the European Union to impose a strong 22nd package of sanctions against Russia.
The Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant lost its external power supply on Sunday. A damaged power line was disconnected for safety, forcing the plant to run on backup diesel generators. The plant has been offline since Russia captured it early in the war, but it requires power to keep essential cooling systems running. Its external supply has been severed periodically, raising concerns about nuclear safety during prolonged outages.
