Russian bombs on aid distribution site in southern Ukraine kill at least 26

Mixed · 2Ukraine said Russian strikes on a school where humanitarian aid was distributed in southern Ukraine killed at least 24 people on Monday 2 November; the toll was later reported as 26. 1 2 Mixed · 2Regional governor Mykhailo Semikin said at least nine 3,000kg guided bombs hit the village of Komyshuvakha, which The Independent places in the Zaporizhzhia region. CNA describes it only as a village in a region adjacent to Kherson. 2 1 Mixed · 2President Volodymyr Zelensky said aid was handed out there every Monday, that a first strike hit as people arrived, and that a second strike hit the shelter. He called the attack "utterly horrific". 1 2

Mixed · 2Among the dead were a police officer and two State Emergency Service rescuers, according to Semikin on Telegram. The service named the rescuers as Denys Konovalenko and Oleksy Sushchevsky, both 44. The Independent's later account mentions two rescuers and four police officers among at least 24 dead. 1 2 Left · 1Rescuers recovered two more bodies and were still searching the debris, with work repeatedly disrupted by Russian drone threats, the Independent reported. Dozens were injured. 2 Centre · 1The strikes came hours after a local ceasefire around Kherson expired on Sunday. Brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump, it began the previous Tuesday and allowed an evacuation of the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky. It was the longest truce of the war, and neither side reported violations. 1

Mixed · 2Zelensky said the truce had offered a moment when progress toward peace seemed possible, and that the killings showed Russia "does not want any de-escalation" and that "There must be a response to this". 1 2 Centre · 1A senior Ukrainian figure told AFP that Russia refused a Ukrainian offer to extend the truce, and Kyiv alleged Moscow used the pause to fortify its positions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called that "a completely normal practice", said Moscow viewed the Oleshky mission as successful, and said no similar missions were planned for now. 1 Mixed · 2US-led trilateral talks between Russia and Ukraine are expected in Abu Dhabi. Zelensky said he expects them between 6 and 10 November, subject to Washington confirming a date. 2 1

Mixed · 2Overnight, emergency alert apps in both countries were hacked. Ukraine's app sent baseless alerts of radiation and other threats to millions, and Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry app was also breached. Ukraine's Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said defence operations were unaffected. 1 2