At least 26 people were killed and five more injured on Monday when the Russian air force launched repeated strikes on a school which was functioning as an aid distribution center in the southern Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia.

The multiple attacks, in which Russian planes reportedly launched more than 10 glide bombs, took place in the village of Komyshuvakha, about 35 kilometers (31 miles) east of the city of Zaporizhzhia and a dozen kilometers away from the frontline.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attacks as "utterly horrific" and accused Russia of being well aware of the humanitarian purpose of the site.

"After the first aerial bomb strike, there was a double-tap strike with nine more bombs, specifically targeting the shelter where people were taking cover," he wrote on social media.

"The Russians could not have been unaware that every week, local residents who had remained in Komyshuvakha received humanitarian aid at that very location."

Ukrainian emergency services said two ‌members of ⁠a ⁠rescue crew were among the dead after falling victim to the so-called "double-tap" strike in which a location is targeted again with the aim of hitting first responders.

The attacks came less than 24 hours after a localized six-day humanitarian ceasefire in and around the town of Oleshky in the neighboring region of Kherson had expired.

Zelenskyy said the temporary truce could potentially have led to further steps toward a possible deal to end the ongoing Russian invasion, but said after Monday's strikes:

"This is yet further proof that Russia does not want any kind of ​de-escalation or any real justice... With these killings, Russia has sent a completely opposite signal; Russia is counting on further killings."

The Zaporizhzhia region has been targeted repeatedly for months by heavy Russian airstrikes.