Bombs Hit Komyshuvakha Aid Shelter

Russian forces dropped three-tonne high-explosive aerial bombs on a school in Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, on Nov. 2. The building served as an underground shelter and a distribution point for humanitarian aid. Authorities confirmed 29 people died in the strike, including four police officers, two rescue workers, Administrative Services Centre staff, and local residents.

Four police officers lost their lives while assisting civilians to reach the shelter. Majors Mykhailo Buzhenko and Mykola Balanda, along with Captains Mykhailo Romanov and Dmytro Biesiedin, were killed by the FAB-3000 guided bombs. Buzhenko had served in law enforcement for 21 years and Balanda for 23. Romanov and Biesiedin worked as community police officers for more than 10 years. The National Police stated that three of the officers left their homes due to partial occupation but remained close to the population in other frontline communities.

Two rescue workers, Denys Konovalenko and Oleksii Sushchevskyi, were also killed. Both men were 44 years old. Konovalenko worked for the State Emergency Service for nearly 12 years, while Sushchevskyi served in fire and rescue units in Zaporizhzhia for over 13 years. Both received the For the Defence of Ukraine presidential award, and Sushchevskyi also held the Defender of the Motherland medal. The State Emergency Service noted that the four children of the fallen workers, aged 18, 19, 12, and 8, lost their father in the attack.

The strike also claimed the lives of staff involved in local aid efforts. Olha Tverdenko, an employee of the Administrative Services Centre, died. She traveled to Komyshuvakha every Monday to sort and provide bread and grocery kits to residents. Tetiana Ivanivna, the head of the humanitarian headquarters, and Nataliia Karapetian, the wife of community head Yurii Karapetian, were also killed. A local resident told the ZaBor publication that the Karapetians frequently helped villagers on bicycles.

Russian forces attacked the center of Komyshuvakha with at least nine FAB-3000 guided aerial bombs in two separate waves. The police and rescue workers arrived at the scene during the second wave when the shelters were struck. Search and rescue operations continue at the site. Officials currently list 48 people as missing.

Kateryna Lytvyn, a writer from Komyshuvakha, posted on social media that she personally knew two of the fallen officers. She described the settlement as a place that was once a small, peaceful village but now resembles a cemetery and ruins. Lytvyn noted that the officers went on duty in frontline villages from the start of the war to evacuate injured civilians and clear rubble.

The National Police said the memory of their colleagues and their unfinished work remains. The State Emergency Service described the rescue workers as individuals who worked in dangerous conditions daily to save others. The strike occurred on a Tuesday, two days before the publication date of this report.