More than 20 people were killed in a Russian air strike on the Donetsk settlement of Yarova in eastern Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, citing initial reports from the scene.
Zelensky said the victims were ordinary people who had gathered to collect pensions. Donetsk regional leader Vadym Filkashkin said emergency services were at the scene and that there were as many people wounded as killed. Yarova lies north of Sloviansk and is close to the front line where Russian forces have been advancing slowly.
If confirmed, the death toll would be among the heaviest attacks on Ukrainian civilians in recent weeks, coming 42 months into Russia's full-scale invasion. Zelensky posted graphic footage of the strike online and said there were "no words" to describe the latest violence. He called on the United States, European countries and the G20 group of nations to respond, saying "the world must not remain silent."
There was no immediate response from Russia's military to the reports. Filkashkin posted images from the aftermath on his Telegram channel and described rescue teams working at the site. Local authorities were conducting emergency and rescue operations and arrangements were under way to assist the wounded and recover the dead, he said.
The strike follows a series of recent attacks on Ukrainian population centres. At the end of August, overnight air strikes on Kyiv killed at least 23 people, and a weekend assault struck the main government building in the capital. Kyiv and Western officials have routinely blamed Russian forces for such attacks; Moscow has repeatedly said it targets military facilities and denies intentionally striking civilians.
Ukrainian authorities and international organisations typically undertake investigations into civilian casualties and damage after such strikes. The casualty figures cited on Tuesday remained preliminary as rescue operations continued and officials sought to confirm identities and the full scope of the damage.
Reporting from regional officials and the president’s office provided the initial casualty figures. Further updates were expected as emergency teams completed their work and local authorities compiled an official toll.