Kyiv: Russian attacks on critical infrastructure disrupted electricity and water supplies across Kyiv and surrounding regions on Wednesday, as rescuers continued searching for survivors in southern Ukraine three days after a deadly strike on a school and shelter.
On Monday, Russian guided bombs struck the school and shelter in the village of Komyshuvakha, near the front line in the Zaporizhzhia region. Authorities have confirmed 37 deaths and estimate that another 38 people may still be trapped beneath the rubble.
Moscow continued its aerial assaults elsewhere in Ukraine.
In Kyiv, residents were advised to use public drinking water fountains. Emergency centres were also being set up in the worst-affected areas, providing hot tea and charging points for electronic devices.
A large-scale Russian attack on power plants and substations across nine regions on Tuesday disrupted electricity supplies in several areas in and around the capital. State-owned electricity company Ukrenergo said Russian forces had struck energy facilities more than 20 times in 24 hours.
Officials from the United States, Germany, France, Britain, NATO and the European Union were scheduled to meet at the European Commission's headquarters in Brussels later on Wednesday.
The discussions are expected to focus on security arrangements for Ukraine after the war, the reconstruction effort and potential economic opportunities that peace could bring.
The meeting comes ahead of a new round of US-brokered peace negotiations planned for next week, more than four and a half years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The death toll from Monday's strike on Komyshuvakha has risen to 37, acting head of the regional military administration Mykhailo Semikin said.
He had earlier warned that Russian drone attacks were hampering rescue operations but said the search would continue.
Ivan Fedorov, co-chair of the regional defence council, said on Wednesday that 12 bodies recovered from the rubble had been identified. Preliminary estimates indicated that another 38 people could still be trapped beneath the debris.
It remained unclear whether any of them were alive.
Ukraine's National Police reported the same figures in a post on Telegram. It said visual identification of some bodies was not possible and that specialists were working with relatives of the deceased to collect DNA samples for analysis.
Baptist pastor Vladyslav Makhovskyi joined the search on Tuesday at the remains of the school and underground shelter where residents of Komyshuvakha had sought refuge.
As the rescue operation continued, bodies wrapped in white plastic sheets were carried from the ruins and laid in rows, while smoke drifted across the damaged site.
“When the bombs hit, people could no longer get out," Makhovskyi told The Associated Press. “I understand that many were killed immediately. Even if some were still alive, they probably couldn't breathe."
Monday's attack came after a six-day ceasefire in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky had ended. The city lies more than 245 kilometres to the southwest.
The truce was the most significant between Kyiv and Moscow since 2022 and allowed residents to be evacuated from the devastated city.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded US First Lady Melania Trump the Order of Princess Olga, 1st class, an honour given to women who have made an outstanding contribution to the Ukrainian state.
According to a post on the Ukrainian presidential website, she was recognised for her “significant personal contribution to humanitarian support for Ukraine”, including backing for human rights and charitable activities aimed at helping Ukrainian children.
She was also credited with helping secure the six-day ceasefire to facilitate a humanitarian mission for people stranded in Russian-occupied Oleshky, in Ukraine's Kherson region.
Meanwhile, Russia's Ministry of Defence said its forces had shot down 709 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Online retailer Ozon said a drone attack had caused a fire at its logistics centre in Adygeysk, in Russia's Adygea region. The company reported no casualties.