Zaporizhzhia strike death toll rises to at least 20

Ukrainian authorities said a Russian strike on residential areas of Zaporizhzhia on October 10 killed at least 20 people, including three children. Later ABC News and Deutsche Welle reports revised the early CBS account of 11 deaths.

The regional military administration reported that glide bombs hit a residential area. A strike destroyed part of an apartment building, and the reported toll rose as rescuers searched the debris.

The initial CBS report cited Ivan Fedorov as saying 16 people were wounded. Deutsche Welle later reported 18 injured. ABC News also described continuing searches and warned that the death toll could rise.

The attack followed Donald Trump’s announcement of an agreement with Vladimir Putin on Russian diesel supplies. Trump described more than 300,000 tons immediately, another 500,000 tons in November, 1 million tons afterwards and an additional 3,000,000 tons within a short period, depending on refinery conditions.

The US Treasury announced a temporary easing of sanctions restrictions to allow Russian diesel onto global markets. Trump presented the agreement as an effort to lower fuel prices ahead of the midterm elections.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticised the agreement, arguing that additional revenue would help Russia continue the war. That is his political assessment of the deal’s consequences rather than an established cause of the particular strike.

The announcement came while Ukrainian representatives were meeting Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Miami. CBS reported that Zelenskyy also questioned the US side’s treatment of those consultations.