Russian bombing kills 18 people at Ukraine aid centre, Kyiv says

At least 18 individuals waiting to receive humanitarian aid in a Ukrainian village have been killed in a Russian attack that Ukraine's leader has called "utterly horrific".

Key points

• Russian President Vladimir Putin introduced a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
• "With such killings, Russia is sending the exact opposite signal – Russia is counting on further killings, " Zelensky remarked.
• Semikin remarked rescue teams were working at the scene, confirming "people were still under the rubble".
• He posted a video showing a massive crater left after Monday's attack, and rescue teams searching through the rubble.
• "This is yet another proof that Russia does not want any de-escalation."

Five individuals were injured and another 27 are still missing after at least nine 3, 000kg aerial bombs hit the village of Komyshuvakha in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, regional head Mykhailo Semikin stated.

According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, after the first strike on the local school "used for humanitarian needs", there was a second attack on the place where residents were sheltering.

"The Russians could not have been unaware that the local residents who remained in Komyshuvakha received humanitarian aid there every week, " the Ukrainian president wrote in a post on social media.

He remarked that after a recent a successful joint Russian-Ukrainian operation to evacuate civilians from the Russia-occupied southern city of Oleshky, "there was a moment when the next steps could show that peace is possible".

Meanwhile, Semikin remarked rescue teams were working at the scene, confirming "people were still under the rubble". The Russian military has not publicly commented.

Taken together, the developments around russian bombing kills 18 people at Ukraine aid centre, Kyiv says point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.