Death toll from strike on Ukrainian aid centre rises to 40

The confirmed death toll from Monday’s Russian strike on Komyshuvakha in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region rose to 40 on Thursday, the Associated Press reported, citing Ukrainian authorities. The former school was being used as a shelter and as an aid-distribution point. About 30 people could still be buried, and continuing drone activity has complicated the search. Earlier official counts of 26 and 37 reflected different stages of the same rescue operation.

Ukraine says guided bombs first hit the school as people arrived for aid and then struck a nearby shelter. Emergency services said rescuers and police officers were among the dead. Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had targeted Ukrainian military units in the area and claimed that up to 25 service members were killed. Those competing descriptions have not been independently reconciled.

The figure of 40 is therefore a dated Ukrainian official count, not a final independently verified toll. Recovery work, identification by DNA and the search for missing people are continuing. Worldbrief will preserve the difference between the civilian-site account and Russia’s military-target claim unless evidence establishes what happened inside the buildings.