Russian air strike in Ukraine kills 23 civilians collecting pensions
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A Ukrainian policeman working at the site of a guided bomb strike by Russia on civilians collecting their pensions in Yarova, Ukraine, on Sept 9.
PHOTO: AFP
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- Russian air strike killed 23 civilians at a pension disbursal point in Yarova, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine. Source: Reuters.
- President Zelensky urged allies in the US, Europe, and G-20 to increase pressure on Russia to end the war.
- Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported 18 wounded; victims identified by DNA, amid global condemnation of the attack.
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KYIV - A Russian air strike killed 23 civilians at a pension disbursal point in a village in eastern Ukraine, officials said on Sept 9, and President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Kyiv’s allies to increase pressure on Moscow to end its war.
Russian troops have pressed a grinding offensive across much of the eastern Donetsk region as diplomatic efforts to achieve peace in the three-and-a-half-year-old war have largely stalled.
Mr Zelensky said a guided bomb had struck the village of Yarova, about 25km from the city of Sloviansk, a Ukrainian stronghold, and several kilometres behind the front line.
“Directly on people. Ordinary civilians. At the very moment when pensions were being disbursed,” he wrote on X.
The president posted video footage showing bodies strewn across the ground and debris.
Twenty-three people were killed and another 18 people were wounded, said Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.
He added that some victims were still being identified using DNA.
“The world must not remain silent,” Mr Zelensky said. “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 G-20.”
Russia did not immediately comment on Mr Zelensky’s remarks.
Moscow has denied targeting civilians, but tens of thousands have died since its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Last week, a Russian airstrike near the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv killed two people from a Danish-sponsored humanitarian demining mission.
“Is this what Russia means when it talks about peace? When will Russia stop killing people?“ wrote European Council President Antonio Costa on X. REUTERS
