Ukraine has launched massive strikes against Russia, defying US President Donald Trump's demand for an end to oil attacks, as the death toll from a Russian double-tap strike on an aid centre rose to 42, with 33 people still missing.
The attack on Monday targeted a former school in Komyshuvakha where residents had gathered to collect humanitarian aid. Russian forces dropped nine glide bombs, initially hitting the school, then launching a second wave targeting the shelter where civilians had taken cover, as well as rescuers and police officers who had arrived at the scene.
Death toll rises after double-tap attack
Ukrainian rescuers are still trying to reach suspected victims, and the final death toll has not been confirmed three days after the strike. A double-tap attack occurs when a second strike targets rescuers trying to reach victims of a first blast.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack, saying: "They first struck people who had come to receive humanitarian aid, and then first responders and police officers who arrived at the scene. Unfortunately, there has been very little reaction from the world to this insane attack. But it, like thousands upon thousands of other war crimes Russian has committed against Ukraine and Ukrainians, demands a strong response."
Ukraine strikes Russian oil and logistics targets
Ukraine's latest drone assault focused on an oil centre in Ryazan and also hit the e-commerce Wildberries logistics centre in the same region, dealing a major blow to Russia's economy. The overnight strikes also damaged power lines, causing outages in parts of Ryazan and injuring one person.
Russian authorities claimed to have intercepted or destroyed nearly 100 aerial targets fired by Ukraine across the border. Last month, Trump announced Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an 'energy ceasefire,' falsely claiming Ukraine was behind huge hikes in diesel prices. Kyiv appeared to accede to the demands, but Kremlin troops broke the accord within hours, hammering energy targets inside Ukraine.
Russia steps up double-tap campaign
Russian drone attacks on Ukraine killed another victim in the past 24 hours and hit the country's infrastructure, with water shortages becoming a major problem for many Ukrainians. Putin's forces have also stepped up their double-tap strike campaign, first hitting a target and then attacking rescuers when they arrive at the scene.
In the Kharkiv region, Russian drones hit a postal terminal in the Pisochyn community and a warehouse belonging to a private enterprise in the Bezliudivka community. That attack set off major fires, and as firefighters arrived to battle the blaze at the postal centre, they were forced to take cover as it came under attack with a second missile.
The school in Komyshuvakha was no longer operating as an educational institution. Children from the settlement had been evacuated in June, and humanitarian aid was being distributed there on the day of the attack.
