Police officers and rescue workers among 31 killed in Russian strike on Komyshuvakha

According to the National Police, four police officers were among those killed. They were police Majors Mykhailo Buzhenko and Mykola Balanda, as well as Captains Mykhailo Romanov and Dmytro Besiedin.

Mykhailo Buzhenko served as a senior district police officer in the prevention sector of Police Department No. 1 of the Zaporizhzhia District Police Directorate. He had served for 21 years.

Mykola Balanda was a senior detective in the criminal police sector of Police Department No. 2. He had 23 years of service.

Mykhailo Romanov and Dmytro Besiedin were police officers who had both served in law enforcement for more than 10 years.

"Three of them were forced to leave their homes because of the occupation of part of the region, but they continued serving and remained alongside residents of other frontline communities. Today, the families, friends and colleagues of those killed are mourning a devastating loss. Behind each of these names is a person whose life was treacherously cut short by the Russians," police said.

Denys Konovalenko and Oleksii Sushchevskyi were also among those killed. Both employees of Ukraine's State Emergency Service (SES) were 44 years old. They are survived by their wives and children: sons aged 18 and 19 and daughters aged 12 and 8.

"Denys devoted nearly 12 years to civil protection service. Oleksii joined the rescue service in 2013 and served for more than 13 years in Zaporizhzhia's fire and rescue units. Every day, they responded to calls for help, worked in dangerous conditions and risked their own lives to save others. Both received state awards. Denys was awarded the Ukrainian president's For the Defense of Ukraine distinction. Oleksii received the same distinction, as well as the Defender of the Fatherland medal," the SES said.

Suspilne Zaporizhzhia reported that Olha Tverdenko, an employee of an administrative services center, was also killed in the strike. Every Monday, she traveled to Komyshuvakha to sort and distribute humanitarian aid, including bread and food packages, to residents who remained in the settlement.

Another victim was Tetiana Ivanivna, the head of a humanitarian aid center.

Nataliia Karapetian, the wife of Komyshuvakha community head Yurii Karapetian and a mother of three, was also among those killed.

Search and rescue operations are continuing at the site of the attack. According to the regional military administration, Russian forces carried out at least nine strikes, initially dropping FAB-500 guided aerial bombs before using FAB-3000 bombs.

The FAB-3000 is a three-ton aerial bomb containing nearly 1.5 tons of explosives. Such weapons are used to destroy heavily reinforced concrete fortifications and bunkers.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy provided details of the Russian strike on Komyshuvakha in his evening address. He emphasized that most of the victims were civilians who had come to receive humanitarian aid and people who were helping them after the initial strike.

The National Police said one of the Russian guided aerial bombs hit a humanitarian aid hub that also served as a shelter for local residents. Civilians, police officers and rescue workers operating in Komyshuvakha were trapped under the rubble.