Kyiv: Russian strikes on an aid distribution centre and a neighbouring shelter in southern Ukraine killed 26 people on Monday, Ukrainian officials said, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Moscow was preparing a fresh massive attack targeting the country's energy and logistics infrastructure.
The attacks took place in the village of Komyshuvakha in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, where Zelenskyy said Russian forces first targeted a school building being used to distribute humanitarian aid and then struck a nearby shelter.
“This is further proof that Russia wants no de-escalation,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
The strikes came as a limited ceasefire in Kherson, another region in southern Ukraine, expired on Monday. The agreement had allowed humanitarian aid deliveries and evacuation missions into front-line areas in Russian-occupied territory.
“There was a moment when the next steps could have shown that progress toward peace was possible,” Zelenskyy said. “With these killings, Russia is sending the opposite signal: Russia is counting on more killings.”
As night fell in Komyshuvakha, emergency responders used flashlights to search through the rubble of collapsed buildings, according to images and videos posted online by local officials. About 20 people were reported missing, and the death toll could rise.
Rescue efforts on Monday evening were hindered by additional Russian drone attacks in the bombed area, according to Mykhailo Semikin, a military official in Zaporizhzhia.
Zelenskyy later said in an address to the nation that Ukraine expected Russia to intensify its attacks while the country faced a shortage of missiles needed for air defence.
Zelenskyy warns of fresh massive attack
Zelenskyy said Ukraine had intelligence indicating that Russia was preparing a new large-scale attack, primarily targeting energy and logistics infrastructure.
In a post on X, he warned that Moscow could exploit international attention being focused on the November 3 US midterm elections to intensify its strikes.
“We have intel that Russia is preparing a new massive attack on our country – primarily targeting energy and logistics. The assumption is basically that tomorrow the world will be watching the American midterms, and what is happening here in Ukraine, along with our difficulties with air defense and Patriot missiles, will be overlooked,” he said.
Zelenskyy urged the international community, particularly the United States, to increase pressure on Moscow and ensure that continued attacks do not bring economic or strategic gains to Russia.
“We need signals from the world to Russia that will make them feel that terror is no good, that it will bring no gains, and that as long as this war continues, their oil will burn, and they will not be able to make money doing business with the world,” he said.
Calling for stronger measures against Russia's energy revenues, Zelenskyy said Washington had the ability to exert pressure on Moscow to end the conflict.
“We must not play games with Russia’s oil or gas revenues. We must put pressure on Russia in such a way that it has no alternative but to end this war. America can do this,” he added.
The US midterm elections on November 3 will determine control of both chambers of Congress, with all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 Senate seats up for election.
Cyberattacks disrupt emergency alert systems
The warning of further attacks came amid reports of cyberattacks targeting emergency alert systems in Ukraine and Russia, with false public safety warnings circulated through government-run mobile applications.
In Ukraine, the country's air raid alert application was compromised, sending fake warnings about chemical and radiation threats to mobile phones. Loudspeaker systems in Kyiv reportedly broadcast similar messages.
Ukraine's Air Force said the application appeared to have been subjected to external interference, while reassuring residents that there was no radiation threat. The Ministry for Digital Transformation later said the nationwide alert system was functioning normally.
The alerts included false claims of high radiation levels, a chemical threat and public disturbances in Kyiv. They were written in English, Russian and Ukrainian, with spelling and grammatical errors in the English-language messages.
One message in Russian said: “Hi! There will be a nuclear threat across Ukraine. Do not worry, the Oreshnik is incoming,” referring to a Russian ballistic missile.
There was little indication that the false alerts caused widespread panic. Instead, social media users responded with humorous posts, sharing images of their pets relaxing and apocalypse-themed pictures generated by artificial intelligence.
A spokesman for Ukraine's air force command, Yurii Ihnat, said in a television interview that the cyberattack had no impact on the country's security and defence operations. Authorities urged residents to monitor other emergency channels on social media while the attack was being addressed.
A Russian Telegram channel with links to the country's security services said a hacking group, Hitcore, had claimed responsibility for the breach of Ukraine's alert system. The Associated Press said it had not independently verified the claim, while the affiliations and motivations of the purported hackers remained unclear.
In Russia, the Ministry of Emergency Situations said hackers had sent a false alert through its mobile application at approximately 2:45 am Moscow time on Monday across 33 of the country's 89 regions. It did not identify those believed to be behind the attack.
The ministry said the wider public alert system remained operational through SMS messages, media broadcasts, municipal sirens and loudspeakers, while efforts to restore the application were ongoing.
“All government bodies must take steps to improve the cybersecurity of our digital resources,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
It was not immediately clear whether the cyberattacks in Ukraine late Sunday and Russia early Monday were related.
Limited ceasefire ends in Kherson
The limited ceasefire in Kherson began on October 27 and was part of a humanitarian aid and evacuation mission in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky.
The pause in fighting enabled humanitarian aid deliveries and evacuations in front-line areas, marking the most significant truce between Kyiv and Moscow since Russia's full-scale invasion began nearly five years ago.
As the ceasefire ended, Ukraine's general staff said Russia's military had used the pause to bolster its drone defences and replenish ammunition supplies.
Elsewhere in Ukraine, emergency services reported that Russian drone strikes injured at least 17 people.
In the eastern Kharkiv region, 12 people were injured and a refrigeration facility, greenhouses and residential buildings were damaged.
Five people were also reported injured in the Black Sea port city of Odesa, where a warehouse was targeted and homes were damaged.
Russia's Ministry of Defence said on Monday that it had shot down 212 Ukrainian drones overnight.
The head of Russia's Samara region, Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, said local air defences were repelling an aerial attack but did not provide further details.
Independent Russian media outlets later reported that Ukrainian drones had targeted one of Europe's largest oil transport hubs in Samara.
(With agency inputs from ANI and AP via PTI)
