The number of victims of the Russian attack on a shelter in Komyshuvakha in Zaporizhzhia Oblast has risen to at least 37, and President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday, 4 November, that 40 people had been killed. Euronews published footage from a body camera worn by a police officer who died in the attack.
The attack took place on Monday, 2 November. According to the Kyiv Independent, citing Ukrainian services and Zelensky’s statements, Russian aircraft first bombed a school where humanitarian aid was being distributed. After the first strike, people took shelter in a bunker, and nine more aerial bombs hit the facility. We earlier reported when authorities said 24 people had been killed.
Death toll rises, many still missing
Acting head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration Mykhailo Semykin reported on Wednesday that the number of dead had risen to 37. The day before, he had cited 31 victims and about 48 missing, and on Tuesday evening, 58 people listed as missing. According to the Interfax-Ukraine agency, the dead include two rescuers and four police officers.
Later, Zelensky said 40 deaths had been confirmed, and more than 30 people may still be under the rubble. He added that the remains of some victims have not yet been identified. According to Ukrainian police, cited by the UNN agency, 12 people have so far been identified, and 59 are considered missing. Some of them may be among the victims already found. Police are collecting DNA samples from families.
The president described the situation in a post on X:
A three-day mourning period has been declared in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, from 3 to 5 November. Search efforts are being hampered by Russian drones, which, according to Semykin, have intensified attacks in the area of the tragedy. State Emergency Service (DSNS) rescuers, including dog handlers and sappers, are working on site.
Footage from the police officer’s camera
Euronews published video from a camera worn by the police officer who died in the attack. According to the broadcaster, citing Ukrainian police, the footage shows the moment before a bomb hit the shelter, set up in a former school building. Euronews reports that a FAB-3000 bomb weighing about three tonnes was used. Ukrainian police said that the officer whose camera recorded the event also died in the attack.
According to DSNS, rescuers and police arrived at the site after the first strike, when there was a threat of another. They took cover, but Russian forces struck the same location again. Two 44-year-old rescuers, Denys Konovalenko and Oleksiy Sushchevskyi, were killed.
Kyiv’s response and context
Zelensky called the attack „exceptionally cruel” and said it proves Russia has no will to de-escalate. He also stressed that Russians must have known residents received aid there every week. Komyshuvakha lies about 20 km from the front line. According to the Zaporizhzhia Investigative Centre, since November 2025 it has been treated as a frontline settlement because of repeated attacks with guided aerial bombs.
What next
The rescue operation continues, and the death toll may still rise. As of publication, Russia had not responded to the allegations in the sources we used. Final figures for the dead and missing will depend on identifying the bodies and completing work at the site.
