Russian Strikes Kill at Least 38 Civilians Across Ukraine, Dozens Feared Trapped in Rubble

Russian strikes on Ukraine, including attacks on an aid distribution centre, a hospice and a hospital, have killed at least 38 civilians and injured scores of others over the past 24 hours. The deadliest single attack struck the village of Komyshuvakha in the southern Zaporizhzhia region on Monday night, where at least 33 people are known to have died. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the number of victims was set to rise, as more than 50 people could be trapped under the rubble. He described the strike as "one of the largest mass killings committed by Russia during this war". Authorities said nine 3,000kg aerial bombs hit Komyshuvakha as residents were gathering to receive humanitarian aid at a distribution centre housed in a school building. Local media reported that people took refuge underground when the attack began, but the roof collapsed, trapping many underneath. "The scale of the tragedy is difficult to comprehend," regional head Mykhailo Semikin said. Russia's defence ministry said the attack had targeted Ukrainian military units and killed 25 servicemen. However, BBC Russian defence correspondent Ilya Abishev reported there was no credible evidence that the site was being used by the military and no major military or industrial facilities in the settlement. The UN's human rights monitoring mission said the aid distribution had been highly publicised and the attack "seems to have violated the most fundamental principles of international humanitarian law". Zelensky said Ukraine had proposed extending and expanding last week's ceasefire in the Kherson region, which allowed residents of the Russian-occupied frontline town of Oleshky to evacuate, and that the Komyshuvakha strike was Moscow's response. Elsewhere, a Russian missile destroyed a hospice in the central city of Dnipro on Monday night, forcing nearly 50 terminally ill patients, the oldest aged 90, to be transferred to other facilities. Mayor Boris Filatov posted photos on Telegram showing elderly patients in beds in rooms with blown-out windows and rubble on the floors. "I realise that I am violating ethics," he wrote. "I want as many people as possible to see these photos. Especially politicians and diplomats. Especially abroad. These are elderly, terminally ill people. This is a Russian missile." A hospital was also hit in the north-eastern city of Kharkiv, where Zelensky said 73 people were wounded, most of them elderly patients. A separate strike in Dnipro killed two people and wounded 18 others, and five more people died in aerial bomb and drone strikes on the eastern Donetsk region. Russia also struck energy infrastructure in nine regions, affecting water and heating. Kyiv's water supply was entirely cut off, according to supplier Kyivvodokanal, the metro network was suspended on Tuesday, and Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the power supply situation was becoming "very difficult". As Ukraine counted its dead, the Kremlin announced it would take part in three-way peace talks with Ukraine brokered by the US in Abu Dhabi on 10-11 November, the first trilateral meeting since February. Since then, Russia and the US have engaged more directly, with US President Donald Trump announcing a deal to import Russian diesel. Speaking in Berlin on Tuesday, Zelensky said it was important for Russia to engage seriously in negotiations on a ceasefire and a peaceful settlement, but that he had so far seen "any indication" of that being the case. US First Lady Melania Trump, credited with brokering last week's truce in Oleshky, is set to host Russian and Ukrainian representatives at the White House on Thursday, though no details of attendees were given. The UN said last month that civilian casualties in Ukraine had reached a "record level" as Russian forces resumed systematic attacks on energy infrastructure. Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, and while its frontline advances have stalled, attacks on Ukrainian cities have intensified with large numbers of missiles and drones. Ukraine faces a critical air defence shortage due to stalled Western weapons deliveries and a lack of American Patriot interceptor missiles. In Berlin, Zelensky acknowledged that although the front line was stable, "the situation in the air was not as positive, particularly when it comes to our air defence capabilities and the protection of our civilian population".