Latest data shows 24 people queuing for pensions killed in Russian airstrike on Donetsk Oblast – photos, video
Russian forces have dropped an aerial bomb on the village of Yarova in Donetsk Oblast as pensions were being handed out to civilians, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. At present, 24 people are known to have been killed and 19 injured.
Source: Zelenskyy on social media; Vadym Filashkin, Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration; Ihor Smilianskyi, CEO of Ukrposhta, a Ukrainian state-run postal operator and pensions distributor; Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko on Telegram
Quote from Zelenskyy: "A brutally savage Russian airstrike with an aerial bomb on the rural settlement of Yarova in Donetsk Oblast. Directly on people. Ordinary civilians. At the very moment when pensions were being disbursed. According to early reports, more than 20 people were killed. There are no words… My condolences to all the families and loved ones of those killed.
Such Russian strikes must not be left without an appropriate response from the world. The Russians continue destroying lives while avoiding new strong sanctions and new strong blows. The world must not remain silent. The world must not remain idle. A response is needed from the United States. A response is needed from Europe. A response is needed from the G20. Strong actions are needed to make Russia stop bringing death."
Details: As of 12:30, at least 21 people had been killed and 21 injured in Yarova, said Donetsk Oblast Military Administration.
Emergency workers, medics, police officers and local authorities are currently working at the scene.
Ukrposhta CEO Ihor Smilianskyi also said that an Ukrposhta worker had sustained injuries. He added that Ukrposhta and local authorities agreed on changing the procedure for distributing pensions in frontline areas in order to find some sort of balance between safety and provision of people with basic services.
Quote from Smilianskyi: "Yuliia, the head of our branch, sustained an injury. Thanks to quick help provided by our driver, her life is not at risk; she is already in hospital.
Since the start of the war, we have constantly changed our safety guidelines and, as evidenced by the video, our car is parked under trees to minimise the risk of exposure. However, someone must have leaked the coordinates to the Russians."
Update: Klymenko reported that 23 people are known to have been killed and 18 injured in the Russian strike on Yarova.
He said the identification process is underway with the help of a mobile ANDE DNA laboratory. A police coordination centre is in operation to receive requests from relatives.
Law enforcement officers and emergency workers are helping to transport those injured from mobile stabilisation points to hospitals.
The police received requests for the evacuation of Yarova residents after the strike, Klymenko noted. The White Angels unit has evacuated eight people, including a seven-year-old girl. In total, 22 people were evacuated from the area on 9 September.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported that 24 people have been killed and 19 injured. All emergency services were working at the scene. Emergency workers transported two people who had been injured from a stabilisation point to a medical facility and extinguished a fire that broke out as a result of the Russian attack.
For reference: Yarova is 7-8 km from the line of contact.
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