As a result of a Russian air strike on Izium in Kharkiv region on 29 October, five employees of the local branch of the regional Centre for Disease Control and Prevention were killed.
The Ministry of Health shared details about each of them.
After the city was liberated, all five returned to work. They cleared the damaged premises themselves, removed broken glass and restored the laboratories’ operations.
Killed:
- Viktoriia Prokopenko — worked in the sanitary and epidemiological service for 36 years and headed the sanitary and hygiene laboratory. She would have turned 59 soon.
- Yuliia Dovzhenko — worked as a laboratory technician in the bacteriological laboratory for almost 38 years. She was 56.
- Valentyna Prus — a laboratory technician in the sanitary and hygiene laboratory, employed since 2021. She was 55.
- Anzhela Prokhortseva — an accountant who returned to work after the city was liberated. She was 54.
- Olena Hryshchenko — a cleaner of office premises, aged 58.
On the day of the strike, Anzhela Prokhortseva was speaking by phone with colleagues from the regional centre. During the call, they heard the whistle of a Russian aerial bomb, and then the line went dead.
What is known about the air strike on Izium?
On 29 October, Russian forces hit the historic and residential district of Nyzhnie Misto in Izium with three guided aerial bombs. In addition to the five killed, 14 people were injured. Buildings of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, outbuildings and more than 20 private homes were also damaged.