Ukraine: Russian Strike Kills 23 Civilians Collecting Pensions
Table of Contents
Jarova, Ukraine – At least 23 civilians were killed and more than 20 injured in a Russian airstrike on the village of Jarova in the Donetsk region of Ukraine on Wednesday. Ukrainian authorities report the attack deliberately targeted a group of elderly people who had gathered to collect their monthly pensions.
Images from the scene depict a devastating scene, with bodies lying near a destroyed postal vehicle amidst debris and trees. The attack occurred at lunchtime, when a significant number of residents were present to recieve their payments.
“Pure Terrorism”
Vadym Philashkin, the Governor of donetsk, condemned the strike as an act of “pure terrorism” in a post on his Telegram channel. “It’s not a military operation – it’s pure terrorism,” he wrote.
Jarova is situated approximately 2 kilometers north of the city of Sloviansk, within Ukrainian-controlled territory in the Donetsk region, and roughly 9 kilometers from areas currently occupied by Russian forces.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack as a “brutal Russian air strike” directly targeting civilians on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). He stated, “Just when their pensions are distributed.”
Call for International Action
President Zelenskyy further emphasized that despite the ongoing destruction of civilian lives, Russia continues to avoid significant consequences through sanctions. He issued a plea for international intervention, stating, ”The world must not be silent. The United States must react. Europe must react. The G20 must react. Powerful measures are required for Russia to stop spreading death.”
As of this reporting,Moscow has not issued a comment regarding the incident. However,Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilians throughout the conflict. Since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, over 16,000 people have been killed in Ukraine, according to data from Swedish broadcaster SVT.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more facts becomes available.
