A Russian aerial bombardment on the Ukrainian village of Yarova in the eastern Donetsk region killed at least 23 civilians and left 18 others wounded, Ukrainian officials confirmed Tuesday.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the strike as “brutally savage” and said it was aimed “directly at people. Ordinary civilians.” He urged the international community to deliver a strong response, insisting that “such Russian strikes must not be left without consequence.”
Footage released by Zelensky from the scene shows devastating images: bodies in civilian clothes lying motionless on the ground, some appearing to be elderly, many bearing severe injuries. The attack occurred as villagers gathered to collect pension payments, just a few miles from the front line.
A mangled van believed to be a mobile branch of Ukraine’s postal service was visible in the wreckage, with a children’s playground in the background.
“The Russians attacked people while they were receiving their pensions. This is not warfare – this is pure terrorism,” said Vadym Filashkin, head of the Donetsk regional military administration. Rescue crews and medics remained on-site into the evening.
The local postal office chief was among the injured and is now hospitalized, according to Igor Smelyansky, CEO of Ukraine’s postal service. He noted that postal vans routinely park under tree cover to avoid detection, but even these precautions have not prevented targeted strikes.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called for tougher sanctions and “strong responses” from allies, accusing Moscow of masking brutality with false claims of “saving” Donetsk residents. “In reality,” he said, “Russia is dropping massive bombs on civilians who came simply to receive their pensions.”
The village of Yarova, once home to about 2,800 people before Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, continues to bear the marks of conflict. Occupied by Russian troops in June that year, the settlement was later retaken by Ukrainian forces, but its population and infrastructure remain deeply scarred.
Fresh violence has added to the toll across Ukraine. In the past 24 hours alone, at least seven people were killed and 22 others wounded in a series of Russian strikes, according to local officials. Regional authorities in Zaporizhzhia reported that one woman was killed and another injured in an overnight attack.
Meanwhile, Donetsk region governor Vadym Filashkin said six people lost their lives and 10 more were hurt in a separate assault on Monday, underscoring the ongoing intensity of fighting in Ukraine’s east.
English