On the morning of September 9, 2025, the quiet village of Yarova in eastern Ukraine became the latest flashpoint in a war that has already left deep scars across the country. At around 11 a.m., as dozens of elderly residents queued outside a mobile post office vehicle to collect their monthly pensions, a Russian glide bomb struck, killing at least 24 people and injuring 19 others, according to Ukraine's Emergency Service and reporting by the Associated Press.
Yarova, a small rural settlement less than 10 kilometers from the front lines in the Donetsk region, has endured the shifting tides of occupation and liberation over the past three years. Russian forces seized the village in 2022, only for Ukrainian troops to reclaim it later that same year during a counteroffensive. Despite the constant threat of violence, many residents have chosen to stay, either because they lack the means to relocate or because they must care for loved ones who are unable to move.
The attack unfolded as pensioners—most of them elderly—waited in the open air for the arrival of the mobile post office, a lifeline in a region where digital banking is virtually nonexistent and ATMs are nowhere to be found. Maksym Sutkovyi, Ukrposhta’s network development director for the Dnipro and Donetsk regions, explained in an interview that the village’s post office had closed just a week prior after its last two staff members evacuated, leaving the mobile service as the only way for locals to collect pensions, top up cell phone accounts, or purchase basic goods. "But apparently, someone gave away the coordinates," Sutkovyi wrote on Facebook, underscoring the ever-present danger of war even in daily routines.
Photos from the scene, published by multiple outlets including AP and local Ukrainian channels, showed bodies lying near the scorched remains of the mobile post office vehicle, which was parked beneath trees in an effort to avoid detection. The aftermath was described as "horrific" by Pavlo Diachenko, head of communications for the Donetsk regional police. "The whole village is on fire," Diachenko told the Associated Press. "Private houses were burning, and people tried to put out the flames with their own hands. There were many drones overhead." Forensic teams worked to identify the dead at a local morgue, where, as Zinaida Hrymailo recounted, "They were all lying in one heap. My sister has been completely burned." Hrymailo’s cousin, a 75-year-old woman, was among those killed as she waited to collect her pension, leaving her paralyzed husband alone in the village.
Yarova resident Hennadii Trush lost his wife in the blast as she waited to collect the pension of her bedridden mother-in-law. In shock, soot still on his face, Trush described the devastation: "It was beyond words. Before, strikes landed on the outskirts. This time it was right in the center of the village." After the attack, Trush fled Yarova with his elderly mother, who had to be carried out on a stretcher.
The strike is part of a broader escalation in Russian aerial assaults across Ukraine. Just days before, on September 7, Kyiv experienced its largest drone and missile barrage since the war began in February 2022. The use of retrofitted Soviet-era glide bombs, some weighing as much as 1,360 kilograms (3,000 pounds), has become increasingly common, causing widespread destruction in eastern Ukraine. These powerful weapons, originally much smaller when first deployed in 2022, have been adapted to maximize their destructive capacity, laying waste to villages like Yarova.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack as "frankly brutal" and called for a stronger international response. "The world should not remain silent," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. "The United States needs a reaction. Europe needs a reaction. The G20 needs a reaction." He urged for additional sanctions to economically pressure Russia, emphasizing the need for "strong action so that Russia stops bringing death." Donetsk Governor Vadym Filashkin echoed this sentiment, labeling the attack "pure terrorism" and highlighting that the victims were unarmed civilians, not combatants.
The international repercussions were swift. Poland’s armed forces were placed on their highest state of alert overnight from September 9 to early September 10, as massive airstrikes continued across Ukraine. To secure Polish airspace and protect people in border regions, the Operational Command of Poland’s Armed Forces activated all necessary procedures, deploying both aircraft and ground-based air defense systems. Warsaw's Chopin Airport warned passengers that flight operations were temporarily suspended due to airspace closures, even as the airport itself remained open.
European leaders joined the chorus of condemnation. European Council President Antonio Costa took to social media to rebuke the Kremlin for its repeated strikes on civilians, pointedly asking, "Is this what Russia means when it talks about peace? When will President Putin accept to start peace talks already accepted by President Zelenskyy?" Despite these calls, peace negotiations remain stalled, and Russia’s aerial campaign shows no sign of abating.
Meanwhile, the war’s toll on Ukrainian civilians continues to mount. The United Nations estimates that more than 12,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the conflict began three years ago. The attack in Yarova is a grim addition to this growing list, underscoring the vulnerability of those caught in the crossfire—especially the elderly and those with nowhere else to go.
In Washington, U.S. and European officials met at the U.S. Treasury Department on September 8 to discuss new sanctions and tariffs on Russian oil, seeking ways to further increase economic pressure on Moscow. These talks are expected to continue, reflecting the urgent search for tools to curb Russia’s military campaign.
For the residents of Yarova and countless other communities across Ukraine, the war is not just a series of headlines or diplomatic meetings—it’s a daily struggle for survival. The attack on the pension queue is a stark reminder that, even in the smallest and most routine moments, the threat of violence looms large. As one survivor put it, "Everything had been prepared, they were going to leave." Instead, tragedy struck, leaving families shattered and a village once again in mourning.
While world leaders debate and strategize, the people of Yarova are left to pick up the pieces—grieving, rebuilding, and hoping for a day when collecting a pension will no longer be a life-or-death endeavor.