They were queuing for their pensions: the stories of people killed by a Russian bomb in Yarova, Donetsk Oblast
Twenty-five people were killed in Yarova, Donetsk Oblast, on 9 September 2025, when Russian forces struck the village centre with a guided aerial bomb as people queued to receive their pensions.
Yarova, a village in the Lyman hromada of the Kramatorsk district in Donetsk Oblast, endured occupation in 2022. Later, life appeared to stabilise, and locals who had left began to return home. [A hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories – ed.]
But by 2025, the fragile calm had given way to more frequent Russian attacks on the village.
On the morning of 9 September 2025, a vehicle belonging to Ukrposhta, Ukraine's national postal service, was delivering pensions to Yarova, as the local branch was no longer operating due to safety concerns. There were pensioners in the village who were waiting for their payments.
Locals gathered in the village square, forming a long line that stretched towards the pension delivery vehicle.
Around 10:40, a loud rumble shook the sky, followed by deafening explosions. Russian forces dropped a guided aerial bomb on the village square, killing 25 people.
Memorial Platform has contacted the loved ones of those killed in Yarova to record their stories.
This article was prepared by the Memorial memory platform, which tells the stories of Ukrainian servicemen and civilians killed by Russia, exclusively for Ukrainska Pravda. To report information about Ukrainian losses, fill out the forms: for civilian victims and military victims.
Zoia Shevchenko, 63
On 9 September, Zoia woke up at first light. She fed the dogs that had wandered to her from neighbours. She would often tend to pets left behind after their owners fled.
Zoia was a social worker and had several elderly people under her care. That day, she had planned to collect their pensions and deliver them in person.
Afterwards, she planned to leave the village, which was becoming increasingly dangerous due to Russian bombardments. She had already found a small house to rent, and her daughter and son-in-law were coming to pick her up. Zoia was looking forward to finally finding some peace.
That morning, Zoia's daughter Yuliia was in Sviatohirsk, a town near Yarova, when she heard distant explosions. She soon learned that Russian forces had struck the centre of Yarova with guided aerial bombs and that her mother had been injured.
"Ambulances weren't allowed to come to Yarova because of the bombardment," Yuliia said. "I took blankets, body armour and tourniquets, and my husband and I drove there. Within 10-15 minutes, we were out of the car in the centre of Yarova. Thick smoke filled the air, everything was on fire, people were screaming and there were dead bodies and their remains."
The first responders at the scene were two military paramedics in a pickup truck. They provided aid to those injured, some of whom were taken to a temporary medical facility in Sviatohirsk, where patients were stabilised before being moved to hospital.
Yuliia found her mother in the middle of the scene, which resembled a mass grave. Zoia was conscious and said her stomach hurt badly. Her leg was broken. Yuliia applied a tourniquet, and her mother was taken to a hospital in Sloviansk.
"My mother was in a critical condition, on a ventilator, but we hoped she would stabilise and be transferred to Dnipro," Yuliia said. Around midnight, her brother told her that their mother had died.
Liudmyla Zubkova, 66
That morning, Liudmyla also went to collect her and her husband's pensions.
Her daughter Anna recalls that day: "I saw a post in a local online group of our village reporting that the village centre had been struck. Then people started calling, saying something terrible had happened in Yarova. My husband, my father and I rushed to the scene. Charred bodies were scattered everywhere. Under one of the fir trees lay my mother, dead."
Liudmyla was born in Sviatohirsk, Donetsk Oblast, but after getting married, she settled in Yarova with her husband. She worked as an optician for most of her life. Her daughter recalled that her mother had rarely spoken about the war, always steering conversations towards everyday matters.
"Despite everything, she just kept living," Anna said. "During our last conversation, I told her that after the war we would go to the sea. She replied, 'I've never seen the sea. I'll go with you too'."
Nataliia Nezhydenko, 78
Nataliia lived alone in Yarova and had no immediate family, although her nephew Yurii lived nearby.
"When the full-scale war began, I got my family out and signed up to fight, but my aunt didn't leave," Yurii said. "She was on her own, tending to her garden. I asked her to leave, but she said she needed to plant her garden so we'd have something to eat when we returned home."
Yurii called Nataliia at 08:54 on 9 September 2025. She said she would collect her pension when the Ukrposhta vehicle arrived. She was in the queue when Russian forces struck the village with a guided aerial bomb.
"Everyone in the village knew and respected her," Yurii said. "When my parents passed, she cared for me as if I were her own child. She had so much life still ahead of her."
Valentyna Polovynko, 74
Valentyna and her husband, along with their daughter-in-law, were planning to evacuate from Yarova on 9 September. Their belongings were packed, and the car was scheduled to arrive at 14:00. That morning, the couple went to collect their pensions from the mobile Ukrposhta branch.
Valentyna was killed in the Russian guided bomb strike. Her husband was injured, underwent surgery and is now receiving long-term treatment.
Before retirement, Valentyna worked as a bricklayer, then as a kindergarten nanny and later as a pointswoman and guard on the railroad.
She loved gardening and grew strawberries and vegetables.
In 2024, she endured the death of her eldest son and the departure of her younger son to serve in the military. It was emotionally devastating.
"I lived with my mother-in-law for 19 years. She was wonderful, compassionate and caring," said Tetiana, Valentyna's daughter-in-law.
Valentyna Boiko, 68
Valentyna was queuing for her pension that day.
Born and raised in Yarova, she lost her parents at 18 and brought up her son and daughter by herself. She worked as a sewing machine operator before spending 30 years as a cleaner at the local school until the outbreak of the full-scale war. She adored animals and kept a dog and 12 cats.
"She was sincere and decent, everyone loved her. Her son Artur is at war. He says he will avenge his mother," said Olena, Valentyna's daughter-in-law. "I loved her and miss her very much."
Mykola Ilchenko, 87
Mykola lived in Yarova with his wife. On 7 September, a Russian strike destroyed their home completely, forcing the couple to move in with their daughter. On 9 September, Mykola went to collect his pension from a mobile Ukrposhta branch, unaware of the events that were about to unfold.
His family remembers him as a devoted family man who worked hard all his life. Before retirement, he was a water supply engineer for the railroad.
"Even at his age, my father was full of energy," said Olha, Mykola's daughter. "This year he dug the potatoes himself, got around easily and was always busy with something. His motto was: to move is to live. He loved fishing – it brought him so much joy."
Author: Hanna Balakyr, Memorial Platform
Editing: Artem Yakymyshyn