Russian strikes on Ukrainian aid site kill at least 31 people, with dozens still missing

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Rescuers in southern Ukraine continued an intense search Tuesday for survivors at a bombed-out aid facility and shelter where at least 31 people were killed and dozens were still missing.

Teams of emergency workers and volunteers picked through debris at the cratered blast site in Komyshuvakha, a village in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region where bodies were pulled from the rubble and carried away in white plastic sheeting. More than 45 residents are still missing.

"The scale of the tragedy is terrifying," Mykhailo Semikin, acting head of the region's military administration, wrote in an online post. "This is one of the worst tragedies in terms of the number of civilian victims in our region since the start of the full-scale war."

READ MORE: Russian strike on Ukrainian public buses leaves dozens dead as blackouts worsen in Kyiv

As Ukraine prepared for a new round of U.S.-brokered peace negotiations next week, a wave of overnight strikes targeted power plants across the country, damaged hospitals and wounded scores of people.

Russia launched 289 attack drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles across nine regions, triggering emergency power cuts, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an online post that noted the barrage coincided with U.S. elections.

"The Russians think America won't notice this signal of theirs," he said. "But we need to notice and stop such terror. We need to help Ukraine defend its skies; otherwise, Russia will never stop its missile strikes."

Mourning declared after aid center attack

Three days of mourning were declared in Zaporizhzhia, where Russian bunker-busting bombs, some filled with nearly 1.5 tons of explosives, were used in Monday's attack.

The dead included four police officers and two rescue workers, Semikin said Tuesday. At least five people were hurt.

In the northeast region of Kharkiv, a combined Russian missile and drone attack wounded at least 62 people, local authorities said.

A strike damaged a medical facility in the Nemyshlianskyi district, shattered windows in four apartment buildings and damaged cars. More than 200 patients were transferred to other medical facilities, Oleh Syniehubov, head of the regional military administration, said.

In the Dnipro area, rescuers pulled a woman alive from the rubble Tuesday morning, after a Russian attack killed one person and wounded 17, local authorities said.

The attack damaged an outpatient clinic and a hospital. Patients were transferred to other hospitals, Oleksandr Hanzha, head of the regional military administration, said.

Power plants pounded in latest barrage

Moscow kept up its nightly attacks on power plants and energy infrastructure ahead of winter, causing extensive damage and electricity outages as it carried out 20 strikes in 10 regions overnight, Ukraine's energy ministry said.

Ukrainian power utility DTEK said three of its power plants halted operations after significant damage from intense attacks. No injuries were reported.

Russia's Ministry of Defense said Tuesday that it had shot down 856 Ukrainian drones overnight. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 493 drones were fired toward the Russian capital.

A Ukrainian drone attack wounded two employees at an oil refinery in the Russian city of Yaroslavl, regional Gov. Mikhail Yevrayev said Tuesday. He added that there was damage to the refinery's infrastructure.

Rolling blackouts have been instituted in the south, west and east of Russian-occupied Crimea following attacks on energy infrastructure, Moscow-installed officials said Tuesday.

Zelenskyy consults with Europeans ahead of talks in Abu Dhabi

President Zelenskyy traveled to Germany Tuesday, beginning a new round of consultations with European leaders ahead of U.S.-mediated talks Nov. 10-11 in Abu Dhabi to try and end the war.

U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, confirmed the date of the talks late Monday, with negotiations to focus on postwar security arrangements, de-escalation and humanitarian efforts.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Tuesday that a Russian delegation will attend the talks.

Russia had agreed last month to resume three-way negotiations with Washington and Kyiv aimed at ending the war, setting up the first such talks since February.

The European Commission said it would host a meeting Wednesday with officials from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the European Union, NATO, Ukraine, the United States and the World Bank to discuss postwar reconstruction in Ukraine. Commission spokeswoman Paula Pinho did not comment on whether Zelenskyy would attend.

Moulson reported from Berlin. Susie Blann in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Elise Morton and Brian Melley in London contributed to this report.

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