Zaporizhzhia Aid Hub Strike: Russian Bombs Kill 29, Including Four Police

Twenty-nine people died when Russian forces struck a school in Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, on November 2.

The building served as a distribution point for humanitarian aid and as an underground shelter for local residents. Ukrainian authorities confirmed that four police officers and two rescue workers were among those killed in the attack. The National Police of Ukraine and the State Emergency Service reported that three-tonne high-explosive aerial bombs caused the destruction.

Police Major Mykhailo Buzhenko and Police Major Mykola Balanda were serving in the district when the bombs fell. Buzhenko had served 21 years in law enforcement, while Balanda had 23 years of service. They were working in the prevention and criminal police sectors, respectively. Police Captains Mykhailo Romanov and Dmytro Biesiedin, who served as community officers for more than 10 years, were also killed. All four were assisting civilians in moving to the shelter during the strike.

Two rescue workers, Denys Konovalenko and Oleksii Sushchevskyi, died in the same incident. Both men were 44 years old. Konovalenko had worked for the State Emergency Service for nearly 12 years, and Sushchevskyi had served in fire and rescue units for over 13 years. The State Emergency Service noted that Sushchevskyi is survived by four children, aged 18, 19, 12, and 8.

Kateryna Lytvyn, a writer from Komyshuvakha, shared that she personally knew two of the fallen officers. She described their daily duties in frontline villages, which included evacuating injured civilians and clearing rubble. Lytvyn described the settlement as a place that was once a small, peaceful village but now resembles a cemetery and ruins.

Regional media reported that Olha Tverdenko, an employee of the Administrative Services Centre, was also killed. She traveled to Komyshuvakha every Monday to sort and provide food aid. Tetiana Ivanivna, the head of the humanitarian headquarters, and Nataliia Karapetian, the wife of the community head, were also among the dead. A local resident told the ZaBor publication that the Karapetians frequently used bicycles to assist villagers.

Russian forces used at least nine FAB-3000 guided aerial bombs in two waves of strikes. The second wave hit the shelter after police and emergency services had arrived on the scene. Search and rescue operations continue at the site, with 48 people currently listed as missing.

The National Police stated that three of the killed officers had left their original homes due to the occupation of part of the oblast but remained close to the frontline population to continue their service. They added that the memory of their colleagues and their unfinished work remains.