Ukrainian officials report 55 dead in Komyshuvakha as emergency crews hit

Mykhailo Semikin, acting head of the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration, stated that at least 55 people died and 45 remain missing following Russian attacks on the village of Komyshuvakha. The strikes targeted a former school and a nearby shelter where residents had gathered to wait for humanitarian aid. Authorities confirmed that emergency workers were struck during rescue missions on Sunday, although no personnel were injured in that specific incident. Specialized rescue equipment was damaged, slowing the recovery process as DNA analysis continues for unidentified bodies.

Mykola Krasnov, a 72-year-old resident, told The Associated Press on Saturday that he had not received news regarding his wife. She had gone to collect aid when a three-ton bomb struck the area. Krasnov noted that her body had not been found at the site, placed in the morgue, or located alive. He described the uncertainty as a central source of grief for the community. On Saturday, police officers and relatives gathered in Zaporizhzhia for a farewell ceremony for six officers killed in the strikes, including four who died near the school.

Andrii Khomenko, a police lieutenant colonel who served with the victims, said the officers used every skill available to protect themselves. He argued that when enemies gather civilians in one place and launch strikes, technical proficiency cannot guarantee survival. Yurii Karapetian, whose wife Natalia was killed while distributing bread in the shelter, described the pain as unbearable. He urged the international community to understand that Russia will not stop at Ukraine if it is not stopped. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy labeled the attack on emergency crews on Sunday as absolute cynicism and brutality.

Zelenskyy reported that Russian forces launched 115 missiles, 1,900 guided aerial bombs, and over 3,000 drones at Ukraine in the previous week. He called on partners to sanction entities producing these missiles, noting that many were manufactured this year. The Russian defense ministry claimed its strikes targeted an electrical substation in the Dnipropetrovsk region that powered military-industrial enterprises. More than 600,000 people in that region lost power, according to Zelenskyy.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest in Europe, lost its external power supply on Sunday. Plant management reported that a damaged power line was disconnected for safety, forcing a switch to backup diesel generators. Ukraine’s state nuclear operator Energoatom confirmed the reliance on generators. The plant has been offline since Russia captured it early in the war, but it requires power for essential cooling systems. Periodic outages have raised concerns about a nuclear accident if the supply remains severed.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced on Sunday that France and other European representatives would join U.S.-mediated peace talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11. Barrot stated that France would ensure Europe’s voice was heard, though he did not specify which officials would attend or their direct role in negotiations. Previously, the talks were framed as a trilateral meeting between Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv, with President Donald Trump predicting a deal that could extend to all of Europe.