Ukraine Reports 55 Dead After Russian Strikes Hit Emergency Workers in Zaporizhzhia
French officials confirm participation in upcoming Abu Dhabi talks as nuclear plant loses grid power.
By Olga Menon ·
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported that Russian drones struck rescue workers in the village of Komyshuvakha on Sunday. The attack hit a former school and a nearby shelter that had already been damaged by guided bombs earlier in the day. No personnel were injured in the Sunday strike, but specialized rescue equipment was destroyed. This followed a Monday attack on the same location that killed at least 55 people near the front line in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Mykhailo Semikin, the acting head of the regional military administration, stated that 45 people remained missing as of Sunday afternoon. DNA analysis is currently underway to identify the many recovered bodies. Mykola Krasnov, a 72-year-old resident, told The Associated Press on Saturday that he was still searching for his wife. He recalled that she went to collect humanitarian aid when a three-ton bomb was dropped. “She didn’t come home, and they didn’t find her body there,” Krasnov said.
Ukrainian authorities accuse Russia of conducting multiple strikes in quick succession at the same site to target emergency crews responding to the initial blast. On Saturday, police and relatives gathered in Zaporizhzhia for a farewell ceremony for six officers killed in the strikes. Andrii Khomenko, a police lieutenant colonel who worked with the victims, noted that the enemy deliberately gathered civilians in one place. Yurii Karapetian, whose wife Natalia died while distributing bread in a shelter, described the pain as unbearable and urged the international community to act.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack on emergency crews “absolute cynicism and brutality” in a post on X on Sunday. He also reported that Russian strikes in the Dnipropetrovsk region left more than 600,000 people without power. Zelenskyy said Russia launched 115 missiles, 1,900 guided aerial bombs, and over 3,000 drones in the past week. He called on partners to sanction entities producing these weapons, arguing that missiles must be stopped on production lines if skies cannot be protected.
The Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest in Europe, lost its external power supply on Sunday. The plant’s management reported that a damaged power line was disconnected for safety, forcing reliance on backup diesel generators. Ukraine’s state nuclear operator, Energoatom, confirmed the plant was running on generators. The plant has been offline since Russia captured it early in the war but requires power for cooling systems.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced on Sunday that France and other European representatives would join U.S.-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11. Barrot stated that France would ensure Europe’s voice is heard, though he did not specify which officials would attend. The talks were previously described as a trilateral meeting between Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv, with U.S. President Donald Trump predicting a large deal that would extend to all of Europe.
Russian and Ukrainian forces exchanged drone strikes overnight. The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched 164 drones into Ukraine, with 137 shot down. One person was killed and three injured when Russian forces struck a residential neighborhood in Dnipro. Russia’s defense ministry claimed its forces destroyed 142 Ukrainian drones during the night over various areas including the Azov Sea.
