Residents in Zaporizhzhia bury police officers after Russian strikes hit shelter
A second wave of Russian attacks killed at least 55 people in Komyshuvakha, targeting emergency crews and leaving 50 residents missing.
By Naomi Tesfaye ·
Mykola Krasnov, a 72-year-old resident of Komyshuvakha, still searches for his wife. She left their home in the Zaporizhzhia region to collect humanitarian aid before a three-ton Russian bomb struck the area. Krasnov told the Associated Press on Saturday that she has not returned and her body has not been found in the local morgue. He said she is neither alive in the village nor accounted for among the dead.
Ukrainian authorities reported on Monday that Russian strikes killed at least 55 people in the village. The initial attack used guided aerial bombs to destroy a former school and an underground shelter where residents waited for aid. A subsequent drone strike hit emergency workers on Sunday. No one was injured in that second strike, but specialized rescue equipment was damaged. Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, the HUR, identified some Russian service members involved in the double tap. It stated that about 50 people remain missing and DNA analysis is ongoing for unidentified bodies.
On Saturday, rain fell in Zaporizhzhia as families gathered to bury six police officers killed in the strikes. Four of the officers died near the former school. Andrii Khomenko, a police lieutenant colonel, said the officers used every skill to protect themselves but could not save everyone when the enemy concentrated civilians in one place. Yuliia Nykonenko, a senior police lieutenant, noted that the officers had risked their lives to save others, including children. The community also buried three residents, including Natalia Karapetian, who was distributing bread in the shelter when the bombs fell. Her husband, Yurii Karapetian, said she chose to stay in the village to help elderly neighbors living alone.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest in Europe, lost its external power supply on Sunday. Management disconnected a damaged power line for safety and switched to backup diesel generators. The plant went offline after Russia captured it early in the war, but it requires power to keep essential cooling systems running. External power has been severed periodically, with Moscow and Kyiv blaming each other for damage to nearby lines.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack on emergency crews as absolute cynicism and brutality. He reported that Russian strikes on energy infrastructure in the Dnipropetrovsk region left more than 600,000 people without power. Zelenskyy said Russia launched 115 missiles, 1,900 guided aerial bombs, and more than 3,000 drones against Ukraine in the past week. Many missiles were produced this year. He urged the European Union to impose a 22nd package of sanctions against entities involved in missile production.
Authorities plan to create a memorial in the part of the Zaporizhzhia cemetery where the police officers and residents were buried. The HUR continues to identify the missing residents through DNA analysis. The State Emergency Service monitors the condition of the damaged rescue equipment in Komyshuvakha.
