Ukrainian police on Wednesday released bodycam video that they said shows the moments between two Russian bomb strikes on Monday at an aid distribution site and shelter in the southern village of Kamyshuvakha.1
Ukraine said nine glide bombs hit the village in the Zaporizhzhia region as residents had gathered to receive humanitarian aid, with a first strike followed by a second strike on a shelter where people and first responders had taken cover.1,6
The number of dead remained unclear and differed between accounts. Ukraine's police account cited at least 40 people killed, while other tallies put the figure at 31, 29, 26 and 24. The number of missing was given as more than 45, 48 and 27 in different reports, while President Volodymyr Zelensky said more than 30 people may still be under the rubble. At least five people were reported hurt, and four police officers and two rescue workers were among the dead, according to regional officials.1,2,3,4,5,6
The footage, from a camera worn by one of the police officers who was killed, shows devastation after the first strike, with damaged buildings and residents standing near rubble. A voice on a two-way radio warns of more glide bombs being launched toward Kamyshuvakha, and an officer tells residents, "Quickly [go] to the shelter!" as they walk into a shelter described as at least two floors underground. Soon after the shelter is hit.1
Ukraine said the shelter was near a local school that was being used to distribute humanitarian aid, a location confirmed by BBC Verify as matching aftermath footage released by the state emergencies service DSNS. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that "nine aerial bombs were dropped by the Russians" and that "First, they hit people who came to receive humanitarian aid, and then rescuers and police officers who arrived at the scene."1
Zelensky described the attacks as "utterly horrific" and said Russia was aware of the site's humanitarian use. "After the first aerial bomb strike, there was a double-tap strike with nine more bombs, specifically targeting the shelter where people were taking cover," he said, adding, "The Russians could not have been unaware that every week, local residents who had remained in Komyshuvakha received humanitarian aid at that very location."6
The Russian military has not publicly commented on the Kamyshuvakha strikes. Russia's Ministry of Defense said Tuesday that it had shot down 856 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 493 fired toward Moscow, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, while regional officials reported Ukrainian drone damage at an oil refinery in Yaroslavl that wounded two employees and rolling blackouts in Russian-occupied Crimea after attacks on energy infrastructure.1,4
The strike took place amid a wider barrage. President Zelensky said Russia launched 289 attack drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles across nine regions overnight, triggering emergency power cuts, and said, "The Russians think America won't notice this signal of theirs," adding, "But we need to notice and stop such terror. We need to help Ukraine defend its skies; otherwise, Russia will never stop its missile strikes." Authorities reported at least 62 people wounded in the Kharkiv region, where a medical facility and apartment buildings were damaged and more than 200 patients were transferred, and one person killed and 17 wounded in the Dnipro area, where a woman was pulled alive from rubble and an outpatient clinic and a hospital were damaged.4
Ukraine's energy ministry said Moscow carried out 20 strikes in 10 regions overnight against power plants and energy infrastructure, and utility DTEK said three of its power plants halted operations after significant damage. Three days of mourning were declared in Zaporizhzhia, where officials said bunker-busting bombs, some filled with nearly 1.5 tons of explosives, were used. Komyshuvakha is about 35 kilometers east of the city of Zaporizhzhia and about a dozen kilometers from the front line, in a region that has been targeted repeatedly for months.4,6
The attacks came less than 24 hours after a localized six-day humanitarian ceasefire in and around Oleshky in the neighboring Kherson region expired. Ukraine's General Staff said Russia had used the pause to improve positions and strengthen capabilities, while the Kremlin said Ukraine, "could have used the ceasefire to re-group as well," calling such activity, "normal practice." Zelensky said the temporary truce could potentially have led to further steps toward a deal, but added, "This is yet further proof that Russia does not want any kind of de-escalation or any real justice...With these killings, Russia has sent a completely opposite signal; Russia is counting on further killings."6
Search operations continued for a third day, and Zelensky said more than 30 people may still be under the rubble. He said he spoke for an hour-and-a-half with U.S. President Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner ahead of U.S.-mediated working-level talks between Russia and Ukraine scheduled for Nov. 10-11 in Abu Dhabi, which Witkoff said will focus on post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts and next steps toward peace. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed a Russian delegation will attend, while the European Commission said officials from France, Germany, Britain, the European Union, NATO, Ukraine, the United States and the World Bank will meet Wednesday and Thursday on reconstruction and security guarantees.1,4,6
