Strike on Kamyshevakhа: 33 killed, more than 50 listed as missing

What happened in Kamyshevakhа

On November 2, the Russian army struck the town of Kamyshevakhа in Zaporizhzhia region, located about 20 kilometers from the front line. According to local authorities, 33 people were killed. Mykhailo Semikin, head of the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration, specified that a total of nine strikes were carried out: first with FAB-500 bombs, then with more powerful FAB-3000 bombs, which are used to destroy concrete fortifications and bunkers. According to him, an underground concrete structure was destroyed by a direct hit, with people inside it. Among the dead were rescuers and police officers. Kun.uz reports this.

Strike on the building where aid was distributed

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said the strike hit a former school building. Children had been evacuated from the town back in June due to the proximity of the front, and the building was used for humanitarian purposes and as a shelter: every Monday humanitarian aid was distributed there. On the day of the strike, at the moment of the first hit, residents of the town had gathered there, and then a second strike followed — aerial bombs hit directly the site where aid was being distributed. Zelensky called what happened a 'terrorist strike' and said that the Russian military knew about the humanitarian purpose of the facility. According to him, 33 people were killed by a single strike alone, five were rescued, and more than 50 people may remain under the rubble; he described what happened as one of the largest mass killings of the entire war. According to Semikin, 50 people remain on the missing persons list, and rubble clearing continues at the site. November 3, 4 and 5 have been declared days of mourning in Zaporizhzhia region.

Context: the truce and upcoming talks

The strike came amid renewed shelling after a rare truce in Kherson region, which lasted several days and allowed a humanitarian mission to take place. According to Zelensky, Kyiv proposed that Russia extend and expand the truce, but in response received new strikes. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, speaking alongside Zelensky in Berlin, said he sees no signs of Russia's readiness to seriously engage in talks on a ceasefire, and emphasized: if Ukraine is to be discussed, for example at the G20 summit in Miami, the president of Ukraine must be at the table. At the same time, the parties confirmed that talks between representatives of Ukraine, the US and Russia will take place in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11 — the first talks involving all three parties since February. Zelensky expressed hope that this format will open the way to a leaders-level meeting, although Putin has previously repeatedly refused direct talks with him.

What is known and what remains unclear

Russia's Ministry of Defense, in its report, mentioned strikes on Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa and Kharkiv regions, but did not address the strike on Kamyshevakhа — thus, the Russian side, at the time of publication, had not acknowledged the strike on this town. The exact fate of the more than 50 people on the missing list is unknown: rescue work continues, and final casualty figures may change. According to AFP, dozens of people were also injured on Tuesday by a strike on a hospital in Kharkiv, and across the country Ukrainian authorities reported four more people killed.