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Ukraine says 24 killed in Russian strike on village, blast hit pension queue

09.09.2025 23:45
A Russian attack on the village of Yarova in Ukraine’s Donetsk region killed 24 people and wounded at least 19, the State Emergency Service said on Tuesday.
A handout picture made available by the National Police of Ukraine shows Ukrainian police inspecting damage following a Russian air strike on the village of Yarova in the Donetsk area, Ukraine, 09 September 2025, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. At least 24 people died and 19 others were injured during the bomb hit, according to the State Emergen
A handout picture made available by the National Police of Ukraine shows Ukrainian police inspecting damage following a Russian air strike on the village of Yarova in the Donetsk area, Ukraine, 09 September 2025, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. At least 24 people died and 19 others were injured during the bomb hit, according to the State EmergenPhoto: EPA/NATIONAL POLICE OF UKRAINE HANDOUT

President Volodymyr Zelensky said the bomb struck civilians as pensions were being paid.

“Brutal Russian bombing attack on the village of Yarova in Donetsk region. Ordinary civilians. At the time, pensions were being paid. According to preliminary information, the death toll was over 20 people. There are no words,” he wrote on Telegram, posting video of the aftermath that showed wreckage, bodies and a damaged Ukrainian postal service vehicle.

Ukrainian media, citing their own sources, reported that a glide bomb hit the civilians.

Ihor Smiliansky, head of Ukrposhta (Ukrainian Post), said one of the company’s employees who was to distribute pensions in Yarova was wounded.

The village lies roughly seven to eight kilometers from the front line, he said, adding that procedures for pension payouts in frontline areas had been repeatedly adjusted to balance safety with basic services.

“We have constantly changed safety procedures since the start of the war and—as the video shows—the vehicle was under trees to minimize the risk of being spotted. But apparently someone provided the coordinates,” Smiliansky said.

Andriy Sybiha, Ukraine’s top diplomat, said Kyiv would inform international partners about the killings in Yarova and expected a decisive response. He called the attack a “terrible crime” requiring global condemnation and urged European partners, the United States, G20 members and “all who value human life and the UN Charter” to act.

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Source: Belsat, TVN24