Russia carried out several airstrikes on Monday, November 2, against a school distributing humanitarian aid in Komyshuvakha, in the Zaporizhia region of southeastern Ukraine. At least 26 people died. These bombings have destroyed "any hope of progress towards peace," declared Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

First modification: 11/03/2026 - 01:34

Ukraine reported Monday that several Russian attacks on a school where humanitarian aid was being distributed had killed at least 26 people, frustrating, it said, fragile hopes of "moving toward peace" after the end of an unusual localized truce in the south of the country.

In Komyshuvakha, in the Zaporizhia region (southeast), a series of Russian airstrikes killed at least 26 people, according to local authorities.

"Humanitarian aid was distributed there every Monday. The Russians launched the first attack just as the people arrived: several aerial bombs. Then there was another attack: more aerial bombs, this time aimed at the shelter (...), where the people had taken shelter," described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his daily evening address.

Images released by Ukrainian emergency services show a building reduced to smoking rubble and rescuers at the scene. These bombings have destroyed "any hope of progress towards peace," Zelensky declared, considering them "further proof that Russia desires neither de-escalation nor genuine justice."

These attacks come as Moscow has also resumed fighting and bombing in the nearby Kherson region (to the south), following an unusual local truce negotiated to evacuate the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky.

Read alsoUkraine and Russia accuse each other of cyber attacks overnight

Volodymyr Zelensky denounces "new murders."

After this humanitarian operation, "there was a moment when we could believe that new steps towards progress towards peace were possible. With this massacre, Russia sends a completely opposite signal: it has new murders," Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on social networks.

The truce in the Kherson region began on Tuesday morning and ended on Sunday night without incident. However, the attacks resumed on Monday morning, according to kyiv. "At around 8:00 in the morning, Russian occupiers attacked a car with a drone in the Korabelny district" of Kherson, injuring two people, the municipality announced on Telegram. A Russian drone also attacked a "medical center" in the center of Kherson, but caused no casualties, the head of the local military administration, Yaroslav Shanko, also reported on Facebook.

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Kherson, briefly occupied by Russian forces at the beginning of the conflict, is frequently targeted by drones from the Russian army, whose positions are across the Dnieper River.

The truce observed last week allowed the evacuation of some of the residents of Oleshky, a Russian-controlled town located about ten kilometers southeast of Kherson, which was suffering from severe shortages of food and medicine due to the fighting.

"During this period, the parties have respected their commitments," Ukrainian Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on Sunday, adding that he was working with his Russian counterpart, Yana Lantratova, on new "humanitarian initiatives."

Read alsoThe ceasefire in the Kherson region came to an end after Russia's refusal to extend it

New talks in the Emirates

However, Russia rejected a proposal from Ukraine to extend this localized ceasefire, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP on condition of anonymity. Ukrainian officials interviewed by AFP in Kherson also indicated they expected Russian attacks to resume as soon as the truce ended.

"It's going to be hell, even worse than before," declared a local military source who preferred to remain anonymous. According to this official, Russian forces also took advantage of the calm to gather new troops, transport ammunition and gather intelligence.

When asked about these accusations on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that "this is a completely common practice in this type of situation" and that "the Ukrainian armed forces also took advantage of this period to carry out a similar regrouping."

US envoy Steve Witkoff announced on Monday that negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, mediated by the United States, would take place on November 10 and 11 in Abu Dhabi. "Talks will focus on post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian aid and next steps towards peace," he explained on the X social media platform.

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Also read EE. US announces trilateral talks with Russia and Ukraine on November 10 and 11 in Abu Dhabi

With AFP

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