Death toll rises to 42 in Russian attack that hit Ukrainian aid center

The death toll from a bombing carried out by Russia that hit a humanitarian aid distribution center in the Zaporizhia region, in southeastern Ukraine, has risen to 42, Ukrainian police reported this Thursday (5). The attack, which occurred on Monday (2), is among the deadliest against civilians recorded in the country this year.

Three days after the offensive, police reported that up to 33 people may still be buried under rubble in the village of Komishuvakha. Rescue teams continue to search, while authorities work to identify the bodies.

On Wednesday (4), Ivan Fedorov, one of the directors of the Zaporizhia Regional Defense Council, had reported that 59 people were missing. The number of victims, therefore, tends to increase.

Images recorded by the body camera of a police officer killed in the attack, whose authenticity was verified by the Reuters news agency, show the moments before a second bombing by Russian forces. After a radio alert, residents had taken refuge in a shelter, which ended up destroyed by the new offensive.

The bombings included the use of a three-ton glide bomb, with approximately 1.4 tons of explosives, according to information from websites specializing in military intelligence.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the operation targeted Ukrainian military units near Komishuvakha and two other villages. Moscow officials also said that up to 25 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the offensive.

Throughout the conflict, which began in February 2022, Russia and Ukraine have always denied deliberately attacking civilians.

Also on Monday, the same day as the attack on the distribution center, another refinery was hit on Russian soil, contrary to the request of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, for an end to such actions, aiming to maintain the flow of diesel purchased from Russia in the controversial agreement reached with Vladimir Putin to try to lower the price of fuel in the United States.

The exchange of fire took place just a few days before the return of negotiations mediated by Washington on the Ukrainian War and continues the practice of other negotiations on the eve, with the sides trying to maintain a position of strength.