The Russians dropped an aerial bomb on the village of Yarova in Donetsk Region, killing more than 20 people.
The President of Ukraine wrote about this on Telegram.
‘A truly brutal Russian air strike on the village of Yarova in Donetsk Region. Directly on people. Ordinary civilians. At the moment when pensions were being paid out. According to preliminary information, more than 20 people were killed. There are no words... My condolences to all the families and friends of the victims,’ Zelenskyy wrote.
He noted that such attacks by Russia must not go unanswered by the world.
"The Russians continue to destroy lives, but they avoid new strong sanctions, new strong strikes. The world must not remain silent. The world must not remain inactive. We need a response from the United States. We need a response from Europe. We need a response from the G20. Strong action is needed to stop Russia from bringing death,” the Ukrainian president urged.
According to updated data, the death toll has risen to 24. Another 19 people have been injured, the State Emergency Service said.
‘The Russians attacked people while they were receiving their pensions. These are not military actions – this is pure terrorism,’ said the head of the RMA.
He noted that rescuers, medics, police, and local authorities are currently working at the scene. They are helping the victims and establishing the exact consequences of this crime.
Ihor Smilyanskyy, head of Ukrposhta, reported that the head of the branch that was hit was injured.
‘Thanks to the prompt assistance provided by our driver, her life is not in danger – she is already in hospital,’ he said.
Smilyanskyy added that the postal service and the military-civilian administration have agreed to change the procedure for paying pensions in the frontline zone in order to strike a balance between security and providing people with basic services.
He suggested that someone had given away the coordinates, as the post office vehicle was deliberately parked under trees to make it harder to spot.
The distance from Yarova to the front line is about 8 km, the police said.