'Pure terrorism' — At least 24 killed in Russian air strike on Ukrainian village during pension payouts
Editor's note: The following item contains video footage that is graphic in nature and may be disturbing to some viewers. The story is being updated.
At least 24 people were killed and 19 were injured when Russian forces struck the front-line village of Yarova in Donetsk Oblast on Sept. 9, according to local authorities.
The bombing took place around 11 a.m. while local residents lined up to receive pensions, according to officials. The casualties included local pensioners and employees of Ukrposhta, Ukraine's national post service, who were delivering the payments.
Two of the injured have been hospitalized, Ukraine's State Emergency Service said in a post on social media.
"This is not a military operation — this is pure terrorism," Governor Vadym Filashkin said on his Telegram channel.
Footage published by the authorities shows a damaged postal service car with several bodies lying around it.
The small village of Yarova lies roughly 20 kilometers (over 10 miles) north of the city of Sloviansk. Located near local road networks, it sits close to the front line, just 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) from areas held by Russian forces.
"Such Russian strikes must not be left without an appropriate response from the world," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media.
"The world must not remain idle. A response is needed from the United States. A response is needed from Europe. A response is needed from the G20."
In a later post, Zelensky said Russian forces "knew exactly where they were hitting, they saw exactly that they were hitting civilians."
Throughout the full-scale war, Russia has relentlessly targeted civilian areas, striking both major cities such as Kyiv and front-line communities, resulting in thousands of civilian casualties.
At least six civilians were killed and 10 were injured on Sept. 8 in Russian attacks against Donetsk Oblast, an eastern region partially occupied by Russia since 2014.
Recent months saw Russia ramp up its attacks on Ukrainian cities despite months-long efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump to negotiate an end to the hostilities.
European officials have denounced the latest attack, with Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna calling it a "shocking display of the inhumanity shown by (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and his army."
"It is long past time to roll up the red carpet for him," Estonia's top diplomat said in apparent reference to the welcome Putin received from Trump during the Alaska summit on Aug. 15.
"Is this what Russia means when it talks about peace?" European Council President Antonio Costa said on X.
"When will Russia stop killing people? When will President Putin accept to start peace talks already accepted by President Zelensky?"
