Russian Strikes Kill 38 Civilians Across Ukraine in One Day

Russian strikes killed at least 38 civilians across Ukraine over 24 hours, hitting a humanitarian aid distribution site, a hospice and a hospital, according to BBC News. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the death toll is expected to climb, with more than 50 people feared trapped under rubble.

What happened in Komyshuvakha?

The deadliest attack hit Komyshuvakha, a village in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region, on Monday night. Nine 3,000-kilogram aerial bombs struck the area as residents gathered at a school building being used as a humanitarian aid distribution center, authorities said, per BBC News. People took shelter underground when the attack began, but the building's roof collapsed, trapping many inside. At least 33 people are confirmed dead in the strike so far.

How many people are still missing?

Zelensky said the number of victims is likely to rise because more than 50 people could still be trapped under the debris. Zaporizhzhia regional head Mykhailo Semikin, speaking to local media, said, "The scale of the tragedy is difficult to comprehend." Zelensky called the strike "one of the largest mass killings committed by Russia during this war."

What do Russia and Ukraine say happened?

Russia's defense ministry said the strike targeted Ukrainian military units and killed 25 servicemen. But BBC News Russian defense correspondent Ilya Abishev reported there was no credible evidence the site was being used by Ukraine's military and no major military or industrial facilities in Komyshuvakha, though the village sits along a defensive and transport corridor leading to the city of Zaporizhzhia. The United Nations human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine said the aid distribution had been "highly publicised" and that the attack "seems to have violated the most fundamental principles of international humanitarian law," the mission said, according to BBC News. Zelensky tied the strike to a Ukrainian proposal to extend and expand last week's Kherson region ceasefire, which had allowed residents of Russian-occupied Oleshky to evacuate; he called the Komyshuvakha attack Moscow's response to that offer.

What happened at the Dnipro hospice and Kharkiv hospital?

Further north in Dnipro, a Russian missile destroyed a hospice on Monday night, forcing the transfer of nearly 50 terminally ill patients to other facilities. The oldest patient was 90. Dnipro Mayor Boris Filatov posted photos on Telegram showing elderly patients still in their beds inside a room with blown-out windows and broken glass on the floor. "I realise that I am violating ethics," Filatov wrote, according to BBC News. "I want as many people as possible to see these photos. Especially politicians and diplomats. Especially abroad." In Kharkiv, a Russian strike hit a hospital, wounding 73 people, most of them elderly patients, Zelensky said.

By the numbers

• 38 civilians killed nationwide in 24 hours, per Ukrainian officials
• 33 confirmed dead in the Komyshuvakha strike alone
• More than 50 people feared trapped under rubble, per Zelensky
• 73 people wounded at the Kharkiv hospital
• Nearly 50 hospice patients evacuated in Dnipro, oldest aged 90
• Nine 3,000-kilogram bombs used in the Komyshuvakha attack

What happens next?

Rescue crews in Komyshuvakha are continuing to search the collapsed site for survivors as the death toll is expected to rise, BBC News reported. The UN said last month that civilian casualties in Ukraine had reached a "record level." Ukraine's proposal to extend the Kherson ceasefire for evacuations from Oleshky remains unresolved, with no confirmation from Moscow on whether it will respond.