Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of deliberately targeting emergency workers with a drone strike on Sunday, just hours after a deadly bombing killed at least 55 people in the village of Komyshuvakha. The attack marks what Kyiv calls a repeated Russian tactic of ‘double tap’ strikes—hitting the same location twice to maximize casualties among rescuers.
Mass Casualties in Initial Strike
Saturday’s bombardment destroyed a former school and an underground shelter where residents had gathered for humanitarian aid distribution. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported extensive damage, with many victims still unaccounted for. Around 50 people remain missing, and DNA analysis is underway to identify recovered bodies.
Village resident Mykola Krasnov, 72, told The Associated Press he has been unable to locate his wife since the attack. “She went to get humanitarian aid, and a 3-ton bomb was dropped there. Where is she?” he said. “She didn’t come home, and they didn’t find her body there.”
Rescue Workers Targeted
Sunday’s follow-up strike, which Ukraine says was carried out by a Russian drone, damaged specialized rescue equipment but caused no additional injuries. Kyiv’s military intelligence agency, HUR, claims to have identified some of the Russian personnel involved in the initial attack, which used guided aerial bombs.
Andrii Khomenko, a police lieutenant colonel, eulogized six officers killed in the strikes during a somber ceremony in Zaporizhzhia. “They used every skill at their disposal to protect themselves,” he said. “But when the enemy deliberately gathered civilians in one place and then launched strikes against them, no skills could have helped.”
Grief and Defiance
Among the civilian victims was Natalia Karapetian, a community leader’s wife who was distributing bread in the shelter when the bombs hit. Her husband, Yurii Karapetian, called the pain “unbearable” and warned that Russia’s aggression would not end with Ukraine. “The whole world must understand that if they are not stopped, they will not stop anywhere,” he said.
Funerals for the dead were held in a section of Zaporizhzhia’s cemetery where officials plan to erect a memorial. As rain fell over the coffins, officers held portraits of their fallen colleagues—a stark reminder of the human toll of the ongoing conflict.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2026/11/08/russia-targets-emergency-workers-at-site-of-deadly-strike-ukraine-claims/