Twenty-six people are dead after Russian strikes hit a school in the village of Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia, which was serving as a humanitarian aid hub. Ukrainian emergency services confirmed the casualties included two rescue workers and four police officers. Another five, including two additional rescuers, were hospitalized.
The scene is a nightmare of ongoing violence. Around 20 people remain missing under the rubble, meaning the final toll will likely be higher. Rescue teams couldn’t even work safely; military official Mykhailo Semikin told the Associated Press that fresh Russian drone attacks forced them to pause their search.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on X that the school took a direct hit first, followed by a nearby shelter. “This is further proof that Russia wants no de-escalation,” he wrote. He added a grim practical warning: Ukraine is running short of the missiles needed to defend its air space, creating a dangerous gap Russia is exploiting.
The cyber front is just as chaotic. Hackers triggered fake emergency alerts on government apps in both Ukraine and Russia, sending mass messages about nuclear threats and radiation. “Hi! There will be a nuclear threat across Ukraine. Do not worry, the Oreshnik is incoming,” read one message in Russian. Ukrainian officials temporarily suspended their emergency app but said the breach didn’t compromise defense operations. In Russia, the emergency ministry reported a fake alert hit 33 of 89 regions around 2:45 am Moscow time.
On the ground, the limited ceasefire in Kherson, which started October 27, has expired. Ukraine’s general staff accuses Russia of using the pause to boost drone defenses and restock ammo. Elsewhere, drone strikes injured twelve people in Kharkiv and five in Odesa, damaging warehouses and homes. Russia’s defense ministry claimed it shot down 212 Ukrainian drones overnight, a figure independent media couldn’t verify, though reports suggest Ukrainian drones hit an oil hub in the Samara region.