Zaporizhzhia: Dozens remain missing after heavy Russian strikes

Rescue crews in the Zaporizhzhia region worked through Tuesday to find survivors among the rubble of an aid facility and shelter in the village of Komyshuvakha. The Russian guided-bomb attack on Monday left at least 31 people dead and more than 45 residents unaccounted for. Emergency personnel and volunteers sorted through the debris at the cratered site, moving bodies covered in white plastic sheeting. The confirmed dead included four police officers and two rescue workers, while at least five others were injured in the blast.

Mykhailo Semikin, the acting head of the regional military administration, described the event as one of the worst tragedies for civilians in the area since the start of the full-scale war. He called the scale of the tragedy terrifying. Zaporizhzhia declared three days of mourning following the strike. The attack used Russian bunker-busting bombs, some of which carried nearly 1.5 tonnes of explosives.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Russia launched a massive aerial campaign across nine regions on Monday. The barrage included 289 attack drones, 17 ballistic missiles, and 59 cruise missiles, which triggered emergency power cuts. Zelenskyy noted that the timing coincided with U.S. elections. He stated that the Russians believed America would not notice their signal, but he urged partners to help Ukraine defend its skies.

Diplomatic efforts to end the nearly five-year conflict advanced even as strikes continued. Zelenskyy met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin on Tuesday. This meeting took place one week before U.S.-brokered peace negotiations are set to resume. Germany has become Ukraine's largest supporter since Donald Trump returned to office last year and withdrew U.S. financial support, though Washington still provides intelligence and allows other nations to purchase American weapons.

Officials confirmed on Tuesday that Russia and Ukraine will meet in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Nov. 10 and Nov. 11. U.S. officials will also participate in these talks. Zelenskyy said the agenda will include security guarantees, an energy ceasefire, and a Black Sea truce to protect food exports. The Kremlin named Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to President Vladimir Putin, as Moscow's chief negotiator. Previous mediation by Turkey resulted in prisoner and war dead exchanges but did not lead to a breakthrough.

The European Commission is scheduled to host a meeting on the war on Wednesday with representatives from the U.S., Ukraine, NATO, and Europe. White House envoys have spoken with both sides in recent weeks. Questions about American loyalties have surfaced following a U.S. diesel deal with Russia and antagonistic statements by Trump regarding Zelenskyy. Last week, Ukraine and Russia agreed to a six-day humanitarian ceasefire in the southern city of Oleshky in the Kherson region. Melania Trump helped push for this arrangement and is expected to host Ukrainian and Russian representatives at the White House on Thursday.

Ukraine's Energy Ministry reported that Moscow maintained nightly attacks on power plants and energy infrastructure ahead of winter. The ministry counted 20 strikes across 10 regions overnight, causing extensive damage and outages. In the northeastern Kharkiv region, a combined missile and drone attack wounded at least 62 people. Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said the strikes damaged a medical facility and shattered windows in four apartment buildings, forcing the transfer of more than 200 patients to other facilities.

In the Dnipro area, rescuers pulled a woman alive from rubble on Tuesday morning. The attack in that area killed one person and wounded 17, damaging an outpatient clinic and a hospital, according to regional administration head Oleksandr Hanzha. Russian authorities reported their own defensive actions, with the Defence Ministry stating it shot down 856 Ukrainian drones overnight. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 493 of those drones were fired toward the capital.

A Ukrainian drone attack involving 124 drones wounded two employees at the Slavneft Yaroslavnefteorgsintez oil refinery in Yaroslavl, located about 250 kilometers northeast of Moscow. Regional Governor Mikhail Yevrayev noted that Ukraine has struck this facility at least twice before. Officials in Russian-occupied Crimea also reported rolling blackouts following attacks on local energy infrastructure.