The strike on Komyshuvas could be Russia's deadliest attack on civilians – NYT

The Russian attack on the humanitarian aid distribution center in Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, may be the deadliest strike by Russia against the civilian population since the start of the full-scale war.  According to the publication, Russia dropped tons of explosives on a school building that was being used as a shelter.

At the school, where food and medicine were being distributed, Monday was distribution day. Every week, civilians from the region who had remained in their homes would gather there. That is why, following the Russian strike, the death toll is in the dozens.

The exact death toll is still being determined, as the rescue operation is ongoing. As the publication reports, the operation is being conducted in short bursts due to the risk of another strike—drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been spotted in the area.

“But this attack has already become the deadliest against the civilian population in the Zaporizhzhia region in nearly five years of war and could become one of the deadliest in the entire country,” the article states.

It is noted that after the first strike, the Russians dropped bombs designed to cause massive destruction on the school. As a result, the concrete could not withstand the impact.

What is known about the school in the village

The school in Komyshuvas was built after the full-scale invasion began. A reinforced concrete basement was constructed there and used as a shelter. But by the time the school was ready for classes, the situation in the village had become critical. Although the front line had not shifted significantly, drones could now fly much farther, and the village had fallen within the strike zone.

The students attended school for only a few months, after which the authorities evacuated all the children from the area. Adults were also urged to leave, but many remained, including a large number of elderly people.

The school served as a bomb shelter. That is why civilians, rescue workers, and police officers went there despite the threat of renewed shelling. At least two rescue workers and four police officers who had arrived to assist the wounded after the first bomb struck were killed in a subsequent series of explosions.

“Russia has long used this tactic, known as a ‘double strike,’ to target emergency responders who are responding to terrorist attacks,” the authors emphasized.

This is reported by The New York Times.
 

Israel condemned Russia’s mass killing of civilians in Komyshuvakha.

In Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, rescuers recovered the bodies of 31 people from under the rubble; they were killed as a result of a Russian airstrike. The identities of 12 of the victims have already been established.

Russian occupation forces released a video documenting a war crime—an airstrike on a public school in the village of Komyshuvakha, where local residents were receiving humanitarian aid at the time of the attack. As a result of the drop of a three-metric-ton aerial bomb, at least 33 people were killed, five were injured, and more than 50 others are still missing under the rubble of the destroyed shelter.