Zelenskyy: Death Toll From Russian Bombing of School Rises to 40

The death toll from a Russian bombing of a school in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region has climbed to 40, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday, with more than 30 people possibly still trapped under the rubble.

“As of now, 40 deaths have been reported. Some of the bodies, unfortunately, have not yet been identified,” Zelenskyy wrote, according to Interfax-Ukraine. “My condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed. More than 30 people may still be under the rubble.”

Search and rescue operations have now been underway for three days at the site of the Russian strike on a school in the settlement of Komyshuvakha in the Zaporizhzhia region. The Russians used nine aerial bombs. They first struck people who had come to receive humanitarian aid,… pic.twitter.com/KaFinOorVy

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 4, 2026

The strike hit a school in the settlement of Komyshuvakha on Nov. 2, according to Ukrainian news agency UNN, which reported that guided aerial bombs damaged the school building, a utility building and vehicles. Ukrinform reported that the school was underground and was being used as a civilian aid point when it was struck.

Aid line, then rescuers

Zelenskyy said in a post on X that Russian forces used nine aerial bombs. According to Zelenskyy, the first strikes hit people who had come to receive humanitarian aid, and later strikes hit rescuers and police officers who arrived at the scene. Zelenskyy said search and rescue crews have now been working at the site for three days under the constant threat of new Russian strikes.

Regional police in Zaporizhzhia said 40 bodies had been recovered and 12 people identified so far, Ukrinform reported. Police said 59 people were still listed as missing and that up to 38 people could remain under the debris, according to Ukrinform. Some victims cannot be identified visually, police said, and investigators are collecting DNA samples from relatives.

Earlier reports had put the toll at 33, according to Ukrinform. The Zaporizhzhia region declared three days of mourning, Nov. 3 through 5, according to UNN, and Ukrinform described the attack as one of the deadliest in the region since the full-scale war began.

Zelenskyy presses for air defense

Zelenskyy said the world’s reaction to the attack has been muted. “Very little reaction from the world to this insane attack,” he said, according to a translation of his statement published by Ukrainian outlet Ostro. Zelenskyy said the attack, like thousands of other Russian war crimes, demands a strong response, and that Ukraine needs air defense support right now, according to the same report.

The Guardian’s Europe live coverage reported Wednesday that Zelenskyy had just returned from meetings in Germany when he gave the update.

Sources

• Volodymyr Zelenskyy on X
• Interfax-Ukraine
• UNN
• Ukrinform
• The Guardian
• Ostro

Reporting by Daily Beltway.