Death toll from strikes on Ukraine rises to 38: strike on aid distribution point, hospice and hospital

The key facts

At least 38 civilians killed over the past day; 31 of them in the strike on Komyshuvakha, where more than 50 people may be under the rubble
At least 38 civilians were killed over the past day; 31 of them in the strike on Komyshuvakha, where more than 50 people may remain under the rubble
The UN said the strike on the aid distribution point 'appears to have violated fundamental principles of international humanitarian law'
The Kremlin confirmed participation in trilateral talks with Ukraine, mediated by the US, in Abu Dhabi on 10–11 November
The Kremlin confirmed participation in trilateral talks with Ukraine mediated by the US in Abu Dhabi on 10–11 November

Strike on aid distribution point in Komyshuvakha

Russian strikes on Ukraine over the past day, according to BBC News, killed at least 38 civilians and wounded dozens more. The highest death toll was in Zaporizhzhia region: overnight into Monday, nine 3,000-kg aerial bombs were dropped on the village of Komyshuvakha, south-east of Zaporizhzhia, as residents gathered for humanitarian aid at a distribution centre. According to local media, people took shelter in an underground room of a school, but the shelter's roof collapsed, burying many of those inside. President Volodymyr Zelensky said more than 50 people may be under the rubble and called the strike 'one of the largest mass killings committed by Russia in this war'. Regional head Mykhailo Semikin said 'the scale of the tragedy is hard to comprehend'.

Conflicting accounts and the UN assessment

Russia's defence ministry said the strike targeted Ukrainian military units and killed 25 servicemen. However, as BBC News Russian defence correspondent Ilya Abishev notes, there is no credible evidence that the facility was used by the Ukrainian army, and the village itself has no major military or industrial sites. In his assessment, Komyshuvakha has military significance as part of the defensive and transport network on the approaches to the regional centre. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission said the distribution of humanitarian aid at the local school had been widely publicised, and that the strike, in the mission's wording, 'appears to have violated fundamental principles of international humanitarian law'. Ukraine had proposed extending and expanding last week's ceasefire in Kherson region, which allowed the evacuation of residents of the occupied village of Alyoshky, and Zelensky called the strike on Komyshuvakha Moscow's response to that proposal.

Hospice in Dnipro and strikes on infrastructure

In Dnipro, overnight into Monday, a Russian missile destroyed a hospice: nearly 50 terminally ill patients, the oldest of them 90, are being transferred to other facilities. Dnipro mayor Borys Filatov posted photographs on Telegram of elderly people in wards with shattered windows and wrote: 'I understand I am breaking ethics. I want as many people as possible to see these photographs. Especially politicians and diplomats. Especially abroad. These are elderly, terminally ill people. This is a Russian missile.' A separate strike on Dnipro killed two people and wounded 18; five more people died in aerial bomb and drone strikes on Donetsk region. Russia also attacked energy infrastructure in nine regions, affecting water supply and heating: in Kyiv, the water supply was completely cut off, which the Kyivvodokanal company said was 'due to enemy attacks and damage to the capital's energy infrastructure'. The metro was fully suspended on Tuesday, and mayor Vitali Klitschko described the city's electricity situation as 'very difficult'.

Talks amid escalation

While Ukraine counted its dead, the Kremlin announced its participation in trilateral peace talks with Ukraine, mediated by the US, in Abu Dhabi on 10–11 November — the first trilateral meeting since February. Since then, Russia and the US have begun interacting more directly: Donald Trump announced a deal on imports of Russian diesel. Speaking to journalists in Berlin, Zelensky said it was important for Russia to engage seriously in talks on a ceasefire and a peaceful settlement, but that so far he had seen 'no signs' of this. Melania Trump, credited with brokering last week's ceasefire in the besieged city of Alyoshky, will receive Russian and Ukrainian representatives at the White House on Thursday; the White House statement did not specify who exactly was expected to attend the meeting. Context, according to the BBC: Russia's advance on the front has stalled, attacks on Ukrainian cities have intensified, and last month the UN reported a 'record level' of civilian casualties, while Ukraine is facing a critical shortage of air defence due to halted Western supplies and a shortage of American Patriot interceptor missiles. In Berlin, Zelensky acknowledged that although the front line is stable, 'the situation in the air is not so positive, especially regarding our air defence capabilities and the protection of the civilian population'.