Russian Bombs Kill 24 in Zaporizhzhia Aid Zone as Kherson Ceasefire Lapses

Russian forces struck an aid distribution center and a neighboring shelter in the village of Komyshuvakha on Monday. Ukrainian emergency services reported that 24 people died in the attack. The village is located in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. The target was a school building used to distribute humanitarian aid.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in a post on X that 10 guided bombs targeted the area. He described the strikes as proof that Russia sought no de-escalation. Zelenskyy noted that the attacks occurred as a limited ceasefire expired in the separate Kherson region. That temporary agreement had allowed aid and evacuation missions into Russian-occupied territory.

The limited ceasefire began on October 27. It marked the most significant truce since Russia’s full-scale invasion started nearly five years ago. The pause in fighting was designed to facilitate humanitarian aid and evacuation in the occupied city of Oleshky. Ukraine’s ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said he hoped the localized ceasefire would serve as a model for other efforts. He added that it could add to the momentum of three-way negotiations between Ukrainian, Russian, and U.S. officials expected this month.

As the Kherson ceasefire ended on Monday, the regional administration reported that a 62-year-old woman and a 73-year-old man were hospitalized with blast injuries in the city of Kherson. Ukraine’s general staff said Russian military forces used the ceasefire period to bolster drone defenses and replenish ammunition supplies in the area.

Cyber incidents complicated the day’s events. Residents in Ukraine and Russia received phony emergency alerts from government-run mobile apps late Sunday and early Monday. Authorities in both countries confirmed the apps were hacked. A Russian Telegram channel linked to security services said a hacking group called Hitcore claimed responsibility for the breach of the Ukrainian system. The AP did not independently verify the claim.

The false alerts in Ukraine warned of high radiation levels, a chemical threat, and public disturbances in Kyiv. One message in Russian referenced the Oreshnik ballistic missile. Ukraine’s air raid alert channel said unauthorized parties had interfered with the app. The state-run Center for Countering Disinformation urged people to monitor other emergency channels. Air force command spokesman Yurii Ihnat said the cyberattack had no impact on security operations.

Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said hackers sent a false alert through its app at approximately 2:45 a.m. Moscow time on Monday. The alert reached 33 of Russia’s 89 regions. The ministry stated that the digital vulnerability was identified and that necessary measures were being taken. It reassured the public that the wider alert system worked normally through SMS, media, and sirens.