Ukrainian intelligence identifies Russian officer who planned strike on school in Komyshuvakha

Ukraine's Defence Ministry Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) has identified the Russian military personnel involved in the air strike on a gymnasium in the village of Komyshuvakha, in the Zaporizhzhia region. The strike took place on 2 November, amid Russia's continuing attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, and the number of people killed has now risen to 55.

Who planned the attack

According to HUR, the strike was planned by Colonel Fedor Vladimirovich Zubako, who heads the staff strike group of the Russian occupation army's "Dnepr" troop grouping. The agency says four Su-34 aircraft were used. The bombing involved the 5th Tactical Aviation Group, part of the Special Combat Group of the Russian General Staff's reserve aviation group.

HUR has also established the identities of the pilots who carried out the raid. The crew of one more aircraft is still being determined. The agency describes the attack as a war crime.

How the attack unfolded

At 9:45 a.m., two Russian guided aerial bombs hit the "Dzherelo" gymnasium, destroying a sports hall and a utility building where humanitarian aid was being distributed at the time. An hour later, another three-tonne FAB-3000 bomb was dropped on the gymnasium's underground rooms, which housed a resilience point and a shelter for local residents.

The second wave of the strike also hit police officers and rescuers who had arrived to help the victims.

Search operations

People were trapped under the rubble after the blast. Search and rescue work is continuing. Some of the bodies found have not yet been identified, so DNA samples have been taken from relatives of the missing. Preliminary estimates suggest around 30 more bodies could be under the debris.