They got the labs running again after Izium was liberated: Russian strike kills five women who worked at disease control centre

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 Izium was liberated from Russian occupation.

Source: Ukrainian Ministry of Health

Quote: "They cleared the damaged premises themselves, swept up the shattered glass, and gradually got the laboratories going again so they could continue to protect 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 ended up devoting her life to protecting people's health.

Viktoriia, who had worked in healthcare for 36 years, headed the public health laboratory. Her colleagues remember her as a highly skilled professional and a kind and 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 lab 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 happy to help. Yuliia would have turned 57 on 2 November. She is survived by her husband, son, two granddaughters and a sister.

The Russian strike also claimed the life of Valentyna Prus. She had worked as a lab technician in the public health 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. She is survived by her husband and daughter.

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

On the day of the attack, Anzhela was speaking on the phone with colleagues at the Kharkiv Oblast Centre. During the call, they heard the whistling sound of an incoming Russian aerial bomb and Anzhela's attempts to escape. Then the line went dead. Anzhela was 54. 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.

Background:

• On 29 October, Russian forces attacked Izium with three guided aerial bombs, killing five people and injuring another 12.
• On 20 October, 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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