A Russian attack in Donetsk kills at least 24 civilians, most of them pensioners.
A guided missile hit the village of Yarova in the Donetsk region, near the front, while pensioners were being paid.
BarcelonaA Russian guided missile attack has killed at least 24 people in Yarova, a village in Ukraine's Donetsk region, according to Ukrainian authorities, who asserted that most of the victims were civilians waiting to collect their pensions. Ukrainian emergency services also reported 19 injuries. This small village is approximately 20 kilometers north of the city of Sloviansk, close to local road networks and the front line, and just eight kilometers from areas occupied by Kremlin forces.
The attack took place around 11 a.m., as residents were queuing to receive their pay. Among the victims were local pensioners and employees of Ukrposhta, Ukraine's national postal service, who were delivering the payments, according to local media reports.
"These Russian attacks must not go without an adequate response from the world," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed in a message on social media. "The world must not remain silent. The world must not remain inactive. A response from the United States is necessary. A response from Europe is necessary. A response from the G-20 is necessary. Strong actions are needed to stop Russia from bringing death," he insisted.
Ukrposhta chief Ihor Smilianski said the company manager at the scene was injured but not life-threatening. He also explained that since the war began, Ukrposhta "has been constantly changing procedures," trying to find a balance between safety and providing basic services to people still living on the frontline.
Images released by authorities show a damaged postal service car with several bodies strewn about. "The car was parked under trees to reduce the risk of being seen, but it appears someone has revealed its coordinates," Smilianski said, according to the newspaper. Ukrainska Pravda.
Three of the injured victims are in serious condition, while the rest are in "more or less stable" condition and have been transferred to Sloviansk for further treatment, Oleksandr Juravlev, head of the Limansk city military administration, explained to the Suspilne channel.
"This is not a military operation, it is pure terrorism," Vadim Filashkin, head of the Donetsk military administration, denounced on his Telegram account. He reported that rescue and medical personnel, police, and local authorities are working at the scene. He also urged residents to move to less dangerous areas. "I urge everyone to take care of themselves. Evacuate to safer regions of Ukraine!" he wrote.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klimenko said that after the attack, police received a request to evacuate the remaining residents of Yarova, and that a total of 22 people have been evacuated.