Drone hits rescue crew in Ukraine
A second Russian strike in Komyshuvakha damaged equipment and followed a bombing that killed 55 people.
By Emmanuel Obasi ·
Russian forces struck emergency responders in the Zaporizhzhia region on Sunday, hitting a former school and a shelter that had already sustained damage from earlier guided bombs. The State Emergency Service reported that while no one was injured in this specific attack on the village of Komyshuvakha, specialized rescue equipment was destroyed.
The Sunday strike occurred at the same location where at least 55 people were killed in a separate attack on Monday. Mykhailo Semikin, the acting head of the regional military administration, stated that 45 people were listed as missing as of Sunday afternoon. Many recovered bodies remain unidentified while DNA analysis continues.
Mykola Krasnov, a 72-year-old resident, said his wife went to collect humanitarian aid before a three-ton bomb fell on the site. He told The Associated Press that she was not found alive or in the morgue. Ukraine has frequently accused Russia of executing multiple strikes in quick succession to target emergency crews responding to the initial blow.
On Saturday, police officers and relatives gathered in Zaporizhzhia for a farewell ceremony for six officers killed in the strikes on Komyshuvakha. Andrii Khomenko, a police lieutenant colonel who served with the victims, noted that the enemy deliberately gathered civilians in one place before launching the attacks. He added that no skills could have helped in that scenario.
Yurii Karapetian mourned his wife, Natalia, who was distributing bread in the shelter when the bombs fell. He urged the international community to act, saying that Russia will not stop at Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack on emergency crews absolute cynicism and brutality in a post on X.
Zelenskyy also reported that more than 600,000 people in the Dnipropetrovsk region were without power following Russian strikes on electrical infrastructure. He said Russia launched 115 missiles, 1,900 guided aerial bombs, and more than 3,000 drones against Ukraine in the past week. He called on partners to sanction entities involved in the production of these missiles if anti-ballistic capabilities remain insufficient.
The Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant lost its external power supply on Sunday after a damaged power line was disconnected for safety. The plant is now running on backup diesel generators. France and other European representatives are set to join U.S.-mediated peace talks in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10-11, following a statement by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.
