Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky condemns Moscow’s ‘insane’ attack on school that left at least 40 dead

Zelensky calls Russian strike on school ‘insane’ as death toll reaches 40Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned a deadly Russian bombing that killed at least 40 people at a school in southeastern Ukraine.The Ukrainian president said search-and-rescue operations were continuing three days after Moscow dropped nine aerial bombs on the settlement of Komyshuvakha, in Zaporizhzhia region.“They first struck people who had come to receive humanitarian aid, and then first responders and police officers who arrived at the scene,” he said in a post on Twitter/X.“Unfortunately, there has been very little reaction from the world to this insane attack. But it, like thousands upon thousands of other war crimes Russia has committed against Ukraine and Ukrainians, demands a strong response,” he said.Russian retail giant Ozon said meanwhile that one of its warehouses in southern Russia had been struck in a drone attack, triggering a fire and forcing the company to stop taking some orders.The company did not attribute blame for the attack, but Ozon and its main competitor Wildberries have seen their assets repeatedly targeted by Ukraine in recent months. Kyiv accuses them of supporting Vladimir Putin’s war effort.Ukraine releases footage showing Russian double-tap bombing of village in Zaporizhzhia regionUkraine has released bodycam footage that it says shows a Russian double-tap bombing of the village of Kamyshuvakha in Zaporizhzhia region, killing at least 40 people at an aid distribution centre and underground shelter.The footage recorded by a police officer who was later killed shows residents being directed into an underground shelter after the first strike, before a second explosion hits the building.Ukraine said Russia dropped nine glide bombs, some weighing up to three tonnes, targeting people receiving humanitarian aid and subsequently rescuers and police officers who arrived at the scene.President Volodymyr Zelensky said more than 30 people could still be trapped under the rubble, with rescue operations continuing for a third day.Maroosha Muzaffar5 November 2026 05:00Russian oil refinery targeted in drone attackRussia’s Ryazan oil refinery was reportedly targeted in a Ukrainian drone attack overnight, with social media footage appearing to show explosions and a large fire near the facility.The refinery, operated by state-owned Rosneft, is one of Russia’s largest, with an annual crude processing capacity of around 17 million tonnes.Neither the damage nor the footage could be independently verified, and Russian authorities had not confirmed the strike.The facility has been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian drones, including a 15 October attack that reportedly forced one of its main crude distillation units to suspend operations, The Kyiv Independent reported. Maroosha Muzaffar5 November 2026 04:00Russian strikes cause Kyiv's worst water outage of warRussian strikes on Ukraine’s energy system on Tuesday triggered Kyiv’s most severe water outage of the war, sources have told the Kyiv Independent.Residents in the capital were left without water for more than 24 hours. In the city centre some restaurants had to close their toilets to customers."This is the most serious water outage in Kyiv since the war began. It is also expected that the situation will worsen in the winter," Mykhailo Yatsuk, director of the Institute of Water Problems and Land Reclamation, told the website.Jane Dalton5 November 2026 03:00Farage said he understood why ‘rational’ Putin annexed CrimeaJane Dalton5 November 2026 01:55European troops plan for postwar mission in PolandThousands of European troops are due to take part in a military exercise in Poland this month to prepare for a hypothetical postwar mission in Ukraine to boost the country’s economy and rebuild its armed forces.The force's first military exercise, led by Britain and France, is aimed both at testing deployment plans and sending a message to Russia and the Trump administration that European countries are stepping up militarily.But the mission is plagued with challenges, including the war, questions over American support and the outcome of the forthcoming French elections.Britain and France are both part of a wider political group of 37 nations supporting Ukraine known as the Coalition of the Willing.Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly said that in the event of a peace deal, there must be strong security guarantees from Kyiv’s Western allies, including the United States, to deter Russian leader Vladimir Putin from attacking the country again.Jane Dalton5 November 2026 00:45In pictures: Rescuers hunt for bodies in Komyshuvakha after Russian bombing(Reuters)(Reuters)(Reuters)Jane Dalton4 November 2026 23:35Russian strikes disrupt water in Kyiv as rescuers search in southJane Dalton4 November 2026 22:35Zelensky awards Melania Trump one of Ukraine's highest honoursThe presidential decree, dated November 2, cited her "significant personal contribution" to humanitarian support for Ukraine and her work to help Ukrainian children, including those deported or forcibly moved from Russian-occupied territory.The Order of Princess Olga, 1st class honours women who have made exceptional contributions in spheres including science, education, culture and charitable work.Ukrainian officials said Melania Trump - who was born in Slovenia - played a pivotal role in securing a six-day ceasefire to evacuate civilians from the Russian-occupied southern Ukrainian town of Oleshky, which began on Tuesday and concluded on Sunday.Harriette Boucher4 November 2026 21:35Zelensky speaks with US envoys ahead of trilateral peace talks Volodymyr Zelensky has had a “very detailed” discussion with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as he prepares for a trilateral meeting with Russia next week.It follows a meeting with the US, UK and other nations earlier today on postwar recovery for Ukriane.The Ukrainian president said another meeting will take place in Brussels tomorrow on security guarantees for Ukraine. “The negotiations must move forward at full throttle to bring this war to an end as quickly as possible. Ukraine is ready to take the necessary steps. Our proposals are clear, and we have given them to the American side,” he said.“Our proposals are clear, and we have given them to the American side. Air defence is an important priority, and we discussed this as well. We need interceptors for Patriot systems to protect lives from Russian attacks. We must also continue working on each of the bilateral tracks with America.”Harriette Boucher4 November 2026 21:09Drone attacks in Black Sea pose new challenges to Bulgarian border police, in photosHarriette Boucher4 November 2026 20:33