At least 24 people were killed Monday after Russian forces bombed a Ukrainian school, in what President Volodymyr Zelensky called a barbaric “double strike.”
Ukrainian emergency services confirmed that the Komyshuvakha school targeted by the strike was a building used to distribute humanitarian aid, and that two of its rescue workers were among the dead.
“After the first airstrike, there was a new strike with nine more bombs, directly on the shelter where people were gathered,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
“The Russians could not ignore that every week, the residents remaining in Komyshuvakha received help on site,” he continued.
“This is further proof that Russia does not want any kind of de-escalation, any real justice,” Zelensky added.
Monday’s attack took place in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, where officials said 27 people were still missing.
Rescue teams are currently trying to reach residents who are still believed to be trapped under the rubble, Zaporizhzhia police said.
The threat of repeated Russian attacks in the region has also complicated search and rescue efforts, Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi noted.
Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration Mykhailo Semikin declared November 3 a day of mourning for the victims of the attack.
The Russian military has not yet commented on the deadly airstrike.
The deadly attack came just a day after a localized ceasefire secured by first lady Melania Trump in Russian-occupied Oleshky.
“After the humanitarian operation in Oleshky, there was a moment when the next steps could have shown that progress towards peace was possible,” Zelensky said.
“With these murders, Russia is sending a completely opposite signal: it is counting on more murders,” he added.
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