40 Dead After School Attack: Zelenskyj Calls It “Insane”

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents 40 Dead After School Attack: Zelenskyj Calls It “Insane”.

TVS News AI editorial team presents 40 dead after school attack: Zelenskyj calls it “insane.”

On Wednesday, 4 November 2026, Zelenskyj reported 40 confirmed deaths following an attack on a school in Komyshuvakha in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The school had already been struck on Monday. Zelenskyj said the attack had been “insane” and described it as a Russian attack.

The report also put the number of missing people at more than 30. The toll had therefore not yet been finalized at that point. This is an important distinction from a final total: the 40 deaths cited had been confirmed by the source, while no final figure was available for those still missing.

An Attack Days Before the Peace Talks

The timing

The attack on the school building occurred only days before important trilateral peace talks with the United States and Russia. The Guardian published its live blog at 10:05 CET and updated it until 17:09 CET. During the ongoing report, the number of confirmed deaths was raised to 40.

The report can therefore be clearly contextualized: it describes the status of the ongoing reporting on 4 November 2026, not a later completed investigation. The source’s introductory report provides no further details about the victims, the precise course of the attack or its background.

Zelenskyj’s Reaction to the School Building Being Struck

“Insane” After 40 Confirmed Deaths

Zelenskyj said 40 people were confirmed dead and described the attack on the school as “insane.” The Guardian presents these details directly alongside the Ukrainian president’s comments. The figure is therefore one publicly stated by him, rather than the outlet’s independently compiled toll.

The school in Komyshuvakha was the target of the attack. The source lists neither the victims’ ages nor their numbers by group, nor their exact whereabouts at the time of the attack. These omissions are important: the report establishes the location, time, death toll, number of missing people and Zelenskyj’s reaction, but provides nothing beyond what is cited in the reporting.

The Kremlin Hopes Trump Will Continue His Peace Efforts

The Kremlin spokesman’s statement

In the same live blog, The Guardian reported, citing Reuters, that the Kremlin hoped the US midterm elections would not impede Donald Trump’s efforts to bring peace to Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the statement in an interview broadcast by Russian state media.

“We sincerely count on Trump continuing his peace efforts.”

This is primarily a political expectation on the Kremlin’s part. It does not mean that Trump will actually change his support or activity after the midterm elections. Against the simple assumption that the elections would only weaken the peace efforts stands the reaction documented in the live blog by several European heads of government: they hoped the result would pressure Trump into making greater progress in talks with Moscow and Kyiv.

European Politicians See Polarization and Open Questions on Support

Trade, Ukraine and NATO

A European politician quoted in the live blog said that, given internal divisions and polarization, the coming years would make it almost impossible for governments in the United States to function. He therefore wanted above all to observe three political areas: trade policy, support for Ukraine and NATO.

The Kremlin’s expectation therefore touches on a sensitive point: for Moscow, it is not only important whether Trump continues his peace efforts. The influence the United States retains after the midterm elections over support, trade and European security policy is also decisive. The opposing position of European heads of government, who hope for greater pressure on Trump, makes clear that the consequences of the elections cannot be interpreted in only one direction.

Zelenskyj’s Journey Takes Him from Germany to Spain

European Talks Despite the Attack

While the heavy toll from Komyshuvakha was being reported, Zelenskyj continued his European tour. After a visit to Germany, where he was received by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, he was expected in Spain. According to The Guardian, he arrived there to speak with leading representatives from Spain and Latin America, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the President of the European Council.

At the same time, the European Union hosted technical talks on Ukraine with the United States, several EU countries, NATO and the World Bank. Thus, on 4 November, the acute humanitarian news from Ukraine and the diplomatic search for a framework for further support and peace talks came together in a live blog.

What the Report Reliably Establishes

The reliable key facts

Zelenskyj reported 40 confirmed deaths and more than 30 people missing following an attack described as Russian on a school in Komyshuvakha. The school was struck on Monday; the death toll was confirmed in the ongoing Guardian reporting on 4 November 2026.

Politically, the Kremlin’s statement and the reactions of European politicians placed the case in the context of Trump’s peace efforts and the United States’ position after the midterm elections. What is clearly established are the Kremlin’s expectation that Trump’s efforts would continue, as well as the focus on trade policy, support for Ukraine and NATO. With regard to the number of victims, it remains important to distinguish between the confirmed 40 deaths and the more than 30 people still missing.