In brief: The death toll from a Russian airstrike on an aid distribution point and shelter in Komyshuvakha has risen to 55 after rescuers recovered nine more bodies from the rubble. Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) has identified the Russian colonel who planned the strike and six Su-34 pilots who dropped the guided bombs, including a 3,000-kilogram FAB-3000 munition. Intelligence analysts estimate that roughly 30 more bodies may remain trapped beneath the collapsed bunker.
The death toll from a Russian airstrike on the frontline settlement of Komyshuvakha in the Zaporizhzhia region rose to 55 after emergency crews recovered the bodies and body fragments of nine more victims from under the rubble, the State Emergency Service (DSNS) announced on Saturday, Nov. 7.
The recovery follows an aerial bombardment on Nov. 2, during which Russian aircraft struck the “Dzherelo” gymnasium and its subterranean civil defense shelter.
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Rescue teams and canine units are continuing debris-clearing operations amid conditions complicated by the threat of secondary Russian strikes.
The Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (HUR) announced that it had identified the Russian commanding officer who planned the strike, alongside six tactical aviation pilots who carried out the bombing mission.
How Russia conducted the strike on the gymnasium and shelter
According to HUR, two Russian guided aerial bombs struck the gymnasium at 09:45 a.m. on Nov. 2, destroying its gymnasium sports hall and an adjacent utility structure where civilians had assembled to receive humanitarian assistance.
One hour later, Russian aviation executed a follow-up strike, dropping a 3,000-kilogram FAB-3000 high-explosive aerial bomb directly onto the facility’s underground shelter.
The subterranean space served as a municipal heating point and designated public shelter for local residents, as well as arriving emergency responders and police officers.
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The impact of the heavy munition caused the underground structure to collapse, trapping dozens under concrete debris.
Specialists have collected DNA reference samples from relatives of the missing to identify recovered body fragments. Ukrainian intelligence analysts estimate that the remains of approximately 30 additional victims may remain buried beneath the ruins.
Russian military units and pilots identified
HUR stated that the strike was planned by Col. Fyodor Zubakov, head of the fire destruction group at the headquarters of Russia’s Dnepr Group of Forces.
Four Sukhoi Su-34 frontline strike aircraft were deployed to deliver the guided bomb salvos against the village.
The mission was executed by Tactical Aviation Group No. 5 of the Special Combat Group of the General Staff Aviation Reserve of the Armed Forces of Russia.
The grouping was formed from aircrews of the 11th Composite Aviation Regiment (military unit 77978) of the 4th Composite Aviation Division and the 559th Bomber Aviation Regiment of the 1st Composite Aviation Division under the 4th Air and Air Defense Forces Army.
Military intelligence released the identities and ranks of six aircrew members involved in the operation:
HUR stated that operational efforts are underway to identify the crew members of the fourth aircraft involved in the bombardment.
Broader casualty toll from the Nov. 2 attack
The updated casualty toll follows five consecutive days of search-and-rescue operations at the impact site.
On Friday, Nov. 6, the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration announced that 53 fatalities had been confirmed. The subsequent recovery of nine bodies and fragmented remains raised the official death toll to 55 as forensic pathologists continue genetic identification procedures.
President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the scale of the strike during an address to the 30th Ibero-American Summit on Nov. 5, warning that the total number of victims could approach 100 as dozens remained unaccounted for beneath the rubble.
“In this single settlement, in the span of just one day, nearly a hundred people may have perished due to Russian bombs,” Zelensky stated. “The Russians knew exactly what they were striking.”
On Thursday, the National Police of Ukraine released body-camera footage recorded by a police officer who was killed while coordinating civilian evacuations into the underground bunker before the bunker’s ceiling collapsed under the impact of the FAB-3000 bomb.
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