Russian strike kills five staff of Izium disease control centre who got labs running again after liberation

Five women who worked at a branch of the Kharkiv Oblast Centre for Disease Control and Prevention were killed in a Russian guided aerial bomb attack on the city of Izium on 29 October. They had been among the first to return to work after the city was liberated from Russian occupation.

Source: Ukrainian Ministry of Health

Quote: "They cleared the damaged premises themselves, swept up shattered glass and gradually restored the laboratories' operations so they could continue protecting people's health and safety."

Details: Viktoriia Prokopenko was among those killed in the airstrike. She had dreamed of becoming a doctor since her school days and eventually devoted her life to protecting people's health.

Viktoriia had worked in healthcare for 36 years and headed the sanitary and hygiene laboratory. Her colleagues remember her as a highly skilled professional and a kind, compassionate person. She would have turned 59 on 3 November. She is survived by her husband, daughter and grandson.

Yuliia Dovzhenko was also killed in the attack. She had worked as a laboratory technician in the bacteriology laboratory for almost 38 years, dedicating most of her life to her profession.

Her colleagues remember her as a sincere, friendly and conscientious person who was always willing to help. Yuliia would have turned 57 on 2 November. She is survived by her husband, son, two granddaughters and sister.

The Russian strike also claimed the life of Valentyna Prus. She had worked as a laboratory technician in the sanitary and hygiene laboratory since 2021. During that time, she earned a reputation among her colleagues as a dedicated and highly professional specialist.

She is remembered as an exceptionally compassionate, sincere and warm-hearted woman. Valentyna was 55 years old. She is survived by her husband and daughter.

Anzhela Prokhortseva, an accountant, was also killed in the Russian attack. She had returned to her duties after the city was liberated from Russian occupation.

On the day of the attack, Anzhela was speaking on the phone with colleagues at the oblast centre. During the call, they heard the whistling sound of an incoming Russian aerial bomb and Anzhela's attempts to escape. The connection then went dead. Anzhela was 54 years old. She is survived by two daughters.

Olena Hryshchenko was also among those killed. She worked as a cleaner, making sure her colleagues had a clean and comfortable place to work every day.

Although she had joined the team relatively recently, she had quickly become an integral part of it. Olena was 58 years old.

Background:

• On 29 October, Russian forces attacked Izium with three guided aerial bombs, killing five people and injuring another 12.
• Earlier, 80-year-old Valentyna Mikhnova was killed in Kharkiv Oblast when Russian forces dropped 10 guided aerial bombs on her village.

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