Ukraine’s Defence Ministry Main Intelligence Directorate has identified Russian military personnel involved in the air strike on a school in Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia region, on 2 November. As a result of the attack on the “Dzherelo” gymnasium, where local residents were receiving humanitarian aid, at least 55 people were killed, and more than 50 are still considered missing.
This was reported by Ukraine’s Defence Ministry Main Intelligence Directorate.
According to intelligence, at 09:45 on 2 November, two Russian guided aerial bombs hit the gymnasium, destroying the sports hall and an outbuilding. About an hour later, Russian forces dropped another FAB-3000 aerial bomb on the facility’s underground premises, where a resilience point and shelter for local residents had been set up.
As a result of the explosion, people were trapped under the rubble. Search and rescue operations are ongoing. Some of the recovered bodies have not yet been identified.
DNA samples have been taken from relatives of those missing. According to preliminary estimates, the bodies of around 30 more victims may still remain under the rubble.
The Main Intelligence Directorate said the strike was planned by Colonel Fyodor Zubakov – head of the fire engagement group at the headquarters of the “Dnepr” grouping of forces of the Russian occupying army. Four Su-34 aircraft were involved in the attack.
Military intelligence identified six Russian pilots who carried out the bomb drops:
- Captain Sergei Yeliseyev;
- Captain Dmitry Zverev;
- Senior Lieutenant Rodion Plotnikov;
- Senior Lieutenant Nikita Ignatyev;
- Senior Lieutenant Maksym Sokolenko;
- Lieutenant Vadym Perekhrest.
The crew of another Russian aircraft is still being identified.
The Main Intelligence Directorate stressed that identifying those involved in the strike is part of efforts to bring those responsible to justice for war crimes against Ukraine.