Komyshuvakha Aid Shelter Struck: 29 Dead as Search Continues for 48

Residents of Komyshuvakha in Zaporizhzhia Oblast lost 29 neighbors in an air raid on November 2 that targeted a school serving as an aid distribution hub. The strike killed four police officers, two rescue workers, and several local administrators while they were inside or arriving at the underground shelter.

The National Police of Ukraine confirmed the deaths of Majors Mykhailo Buzhenko and Mykola Balanda, along with Captains Mykhailo Romanov and Dmytro Biesiedin. Buzhenko served 21 years in the prevention sector, while Balanda worked as a senior detective for 23 years. Romanov and Biesiedin had spent more than a decade maintaining order in the district. Police noted that three of the officers had left their home areas due to occupation but stayed near the frontline to serve the community.

Two State Emergency Service workers, Denys Konovalenko and Oleksii Sushchevskyi, also died in the blast. Both men were 44 years old and had dedicated over a decade to fire and rescue duties in Zaporizhzhia. The agency stated that the two men had received the For the Defence of Ukraine presidential award. Sushchevskyi, who also held the Defender of the Motherland medal, left behind a wife and four children ranging in age from 8 to 19.

Among the civilian dead were Olha Tverdenko, an employee of the Administrative Services Centre who delivered bread and grocery kits to the settlement every Monday. Tetiana Ivanivna, the head of the humanitarian headquarters, and Nataliia Karapetian, the wife of the local community head and mother of three, were also killed. A local resident told the regional outlet ZaBor that Karapetian and her husband frequently used bicycles to assist villagers and advocated for their community.

Kateryna Lytvyn, a writer from Komyshuvakha, spoke on social media about the two officers she knew personally. She described their duties in frontline villages since the start of the war, which included evacuating the injured and clearing rubble. Lytvyn characterized her birthplace as a small peaceful village that now resembles a cemetery and ruins.

Russian forces attacked the center of Komyshuvakha using at least nine FAB-3000 guided aerial bombs. The assault occurred in two waves. The second wave struck while police and emergency responders were already on the scene, hitting the shelter where residents had taken cover.

Search and rescue teams are currently working at the site. Authorities have listed 48 people as missing following the bombing.

The National Police stated that the memory of their colleagues and their unfinished work would guide the remaining staff. The agency emphasized that the officers stayed close to the population of other frontline communities despite the risks.