Russia kills 38 in Ukraine strikes on aid center, hospice, and hospital

Russian military strikes hit civilian infrastructure across Ukraine over the past 24 hours, killing at least 38 people and injuring hundreds. The attacks targeted a school serving as an aid distribution center, a hospice, and a hospital, according to Ukrainian officials.

In the Zaporizhzhia region, nine 3,000kg glide bombs struck Komyshuvakha village on Monday night. The impact killed at least 33 residents while they gathered for humanitarian aid. President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that more than 50 people may remain trapped under the rubble, indicating the death toll is expected to rise. He described the event as one of the largest mass killings committed by Russia during the war.

Local authorities reported that residents sought shelter underground as the attack began, but the roof collapsed, pinning many beneath the debris. Regional head Mykhailo Semikin noted the scale of the tragedy is difficult to comprehend. The Russian defense ministry claimed the strike targeted Ukrainian military units and killed 25 servicemen, but BBC correspondent Ilya Abishev reported no credible evidence of military use at the site. The UN human rights monitoring mission said the attack appeared to violate fundamental principles of international humanitarian law because the aid distribution had been highly publicized.

In the central city of Dnipro, a missile destroyed a hospice housing nearly 50 terminally ill patients. The oldest patient was 90 years old. Mayor Boris Filatov posted images of elderly patients in their beds amidst broken glass and rubble, stating he wanted politicians and diplomats abroad to see the damage. A separate strike in Dnipro killed two more people and wounded 18. In the north-eastern city of Kharkiv, a hospital strike left 73 people wounded, most of them elderly patients.

Further casualties were reported in the eastern Donetsk region, where five people died in aerial bomb and drone strikes. Russia also attacked energy infrastructure in nine regions, disrupting water and heating services. Kyivvodokanal announced that the water supply in Kyiv was entirely cut off due to damage to energy infrastructure. Mayor Vitali Klitschko suspended the entire metro network on Tuesday, describing the power supply situation as very difficult.

The Kremlin announced it will join three-way peace talks with Ukraine in Abu Dhabi on 11 November, brokered by the United States. This will be the first trilateral meeting since February. US First Lady Melania Trump is scheduled to host representatives from both nations at the White House on Thursday. Zelensky, speaking in Berlin, said he had not seen any indication that Russia was engaging seriously in negotiations for a ceasefire, despite previous rounds of talks yielding no results.

The UN reported last month that civilian casualties in Ukraine reached a record level as Russian forces resumed systematic attacks on energy infrastructure. Zelensky acknowledged in Berlin that while the front line remained stable, the air situation was not positive, specifically regarding air defense capabilities and the protection of the civilian population.