Ukraine's Defence Intelligence names Russians behind Komyshuvakha school airstrike
Ukraine's Defence Intelligence has identified the Russian colonel who allegedly planned the airstrike on a school in Komyshuvakha and the six pilots who dropped the bombs. The death toll from the 2 November attack has risen to 55.
Ukraine's Defence Intelligence (DIU) says it has identified the Russian colonel who allegedly planned the 2 November airstrike on a school in the village of Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, along with six pilots who dropped the bombs. Humanitarian aid was being distributed at the school at the time. On 7 November, Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported that the death toll from the attack had risen to 55.
The alleged planner
According to intelligence, the strike was planned by Colonel Fyodor Zubakov, head of the fire engagement group at the headquarters of the Russian Dnepr Group of Forces.
The pilots
Four Su-34 aircraft took part in the attack. The DIU established the identities of six pilots who dropped the aerial bombs:
- Captain Sergei Yeliseyev;
- Captain Dmitry Zverev;
- Senior Lieutenant Rodion Plotnikov;
- Senior Lieutenant Nikita Ignatyev;
- Senior Lieutenant Maksim Sokolenko;
- Lieutenant Vadim Perekhrest.
The crew of another Russian aircraft is still being identified.
Situation on the ground
Search and rescue operations in Komyshuvakha are continuing. The source does not specify how many people may still be under the rubble.
