Missile Barrage Kills 31 as Ukraine Prepares for Peace Talks

At least 31 people were killed and more than 45 remain missing in southern Ukraine after Russian forces struck an aid facility and shelter in the village of Komyshuvakha. Emergency crews and volunteers searched the cratered blast site Tuesday, removing bodies wrapped in white plastic sheeting from the rubble. Mykhailo Semikin, the acting head of the regional military administration, described the event as one of the worst tragedies in the area since the start of the full-scale war. Three days of mourning were declared in the Zaporizhzhia region.

The attack on the aid center occurred amid a wave of overnight strikes that targeted infrastructure across the country. Russian forces launched 289 attack drones, 17 ballistic missiles, and 59 cruise missiles across nine regions. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the barrage coincided with U.S. elections, stating that the timing was a signal he believed was intended to be overlooked. He argued that Ukraine needs continued support to defend its skies to stop the missile strikes. The strikes damaged hospitals and power plants, resulting in emergency power cuts in several areas.

In the northeast region of Kharkiv, a combined missile and drone attack wounded at least 62 people. A strike damaged a medical facility in the Nemyshlianskyi district, shattering windows in four apartment buildings and damaging vehicles. Oleh Syniehubov, head of the regional military administration, reported that more than 200 patients were transferred to other medical facilities. In the Dnipro area, rescuers pulled a woman alive from the rubble Tuesday morning after an attack that killed one person and wounded 17. The strike damaged an outpatient clinic and a hospital, prompting the transfer of patients to other institutions.

Ukraine’s energy ministry reported 20 strikes on energy infrastructure in 10 regions overnight. Ukrainian power utility DTEK said three of its power plants halted operations after sustaining damage from the intense attacks, though no injuries were reported. Rolling blackouts were instituted in the south, west, and east of Russian-occupied Crimea following the attacks on energy infrastructure. Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed it shot down 856 Ukrainian drones overnight, while Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 493 drones were fired toward the capital. A Ukrainian drone attack also wounded two employees at an oil refinery in Yaroslavl, causing damage to the facility's infrastructure.

Ukrainian leaders are preparing for a new round of U.S.-brokered peace negotiations scheduled for Nov. 10 and 11 in Abu Dhabi. President Zelenskyy traveled to Germany Tuesday to begin a round of consultations with European leaders ahead of the talks. U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, confirmed the dates late Monday, stating that negotiations will focus on postwar security arrangements, de-escalation, and humanitarian efforts. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a Russian delegation will attend the meetings. Russia agreed last month to resume three-way negotiations with Washington and Kyiv, marking the first such talks since February.

The European Commission will host a meeting Wednesday with officials from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the European Union, NATO, Ukraine, the United States, and the World Bank. The session will discuss postwar reconstruction in Ukraine. Commission spokeswoman Paula Pinho did not comment on whether President Zelenskyy would attend the gathering. The discussions come as both sides continue to exchange fire along the front lines and in the rear, with Russia maintaining its nightly attacks on power plants and energy infrastructure ahead of winter.