Russia attacks Ukrainian aid hub in one of the deadliest strikes since war began

Russian strikes on an aid hub killed at least 40 people - making it one of Russia's deadliest attacks on Ukrainian civilians since the full-scale invasion began, officials said.

Nine aerial bombs were dropped at the distribution point as people arrived to collect humanitarian aid, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The former school, which served as an underground shelter and handed ⁠out aid every week, faced a barrage of aerial attacks in the village of Komyshuvakha, near the frontline in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region.

Dozens of people are still missing, with at least 30 suspected to be trapped under the rubble, as rescue workers continue to search underground for bodies.

Even at the current number of fatalities, this would be one of Russia's deadliest strikes on civilians in Ukraine since 2022.

According to Ukraine's ministry of internal affairs, two rescuers and four police officers were among those who ‌died in the attacks.

The assault came a day after a brief US-brokered local ceasefire expired and less than a week before the United States is due to bring together Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Abu Dhabi for talks on ending the war.

The truce in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, brokered by US first lady Melania ⁠Trump, allowed nearly 800 people to be evacuated out of the stricken city, according to the first lady.

Earlier this week, Zelenskyy said the strike showed Moscow was continuing to kill people rather than build on the recent evacuation.

"If Russia genuinely wanted de-escalation, there was an opportunity following the situation in Oleshky to continue taking humanitarian steps," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. "We proposed this. But Russia continues to kill people."

In a post on X on Wednesday, he said: "Unfortunately, there has been very little reaction from the world to this insane attack.

"But it, like thousands upon thousands of other war crimes Russia has committed against Ukraine and Ukrainians, demands a strong response. Evil always goes further if it is left unanswered."

Ivan Fedorov, the co-head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Defense Council, wrote on Telegram that 59 people were missing, according to Reuters.

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Russia's defense ministry said the attack targeted Ukrainian military units around ‌Komyshuvakha, a village in Zaporizhzhia, and two other towns.

It also claimed that up to 25 Ukrainian servicemen were killed.

Moscow continues its aerial assaults in other parts of Ukraine, including two power stations in Ukraine's regions of Kyiv and Zhytomyr, according to the Russian defence ministry.

(c) Sky News 2026: Russia attacks Ukrainian aid hub in one of the deadliest strikes since war began