A BARBARIC Russian air strike on elderly civilians lining up for pensions has killed at least 24 people and injured 19 others.
Harrowing footage shows bodies littered around the site of the strike in Donetsk region in one of the most devastating attacks since the war began.
A Russian glide bomb struck the village of Yarova as elderly people stood in line to collect their monthly pensions[/caption]
The horror blast killed at least 24 people and injured 19 others[/caption]
The aftermath of the Russian airstrike in Yarova[/caption]
The glide bomb struck the village of Yarova – home to around 1,700 people before the war – at 11am.
After the local post office was closed last week as staff feared for their safety, a car was dispatched to hand out monthly pensions on Tuesday.
The barbaric strike on civilians has prompted fears that the coordinates of the vehicle may have been leaked.
Valium Filashkin, head of Donetsk Military Administration, said: “This is not military action – this is pure terrorism.”
All but one of the 24 people killed in the horrific attack were pensioners, he added.
Filashkin urged locals to evacuate to safe regions of Ukraine amid Putin’s push to gain more territory close to the frontline in the disputed Donetsk region.
“We are helping the victims and establishing the exact consequences of this crime,” he said.
Yarova was seized by Russian forces in spring 2022 and retaken by Ukraine later that autumn.
Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky sent his heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased, calling for a response from the US and Europe.
“Such Russian strikes must definitely not remain without an appropriate reaction from the world,” he declared.
“The Russians continue to destroy lives, but avoid new strong sanctions, new strong blows.
“Strong actions are needed so that Russia stops bringing death,” he continued.
It comes as Donald Trump said overnight on Sunday that individual European leaders would visit the United States in the coming days to discuss how to resolve the war in Ukraine.
He has confirmed that he is ready to move to a “phase two” of sanctioning Russia.
Trump then threatened tougher sanctions against Russia, after a reported 810 drones and 13 missiles had attacked Kyiv on Sunday.
Sunday’s attack killed at least four people, including a baby, with a key government building set alight, according to Ukrainian officials.
Zelensky said barrage had caused damage across the country, including the cities of Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih and Odesa.
Medics evacuate Olha Trush, 86, following Tuesday’s brutal strike[/caption]
“Such killings now, at a time when real diplomacy could have started a long time ago, are a deliberate crime and an attempt to prolong the war,” Zelensky wrote on social media after the original attack on Sunday.
Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, said on Monday that no sanctions would ever force Russia to change course in the Ukraine war.
The daily attacks come as Russian President Vladimir Putin recently travelled to China to be welcomed with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who Putin called a “dear friend”.
This followed a visit by Xi to Moscow for Russia’s celebrations to mark the defeat of the Nazis.
“Our close communication reflects the strategic nature of Russia-China relations, which are at an unprecedentedly high level,” Putin proclaimed on his visit.
“We were always together then, and we remain together now” he added.
During the Russian leader’s visit, President Xi Jinping unveiled laser weapons, nuclear ballistic missiles and giant underwater drones at a massive military parade.
The parade marked 80 years since the conclusion of World War Two.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un also attended the parade, showing unity with China and Russia as the ward in Ukraine continues.
The parade marked the first time that the Chinese, Russian and North Korean leaders had appeared together publicly.
Earlier in the trip, a microphone had caught discussing organ transplants as a means of achieving immortality, with Xi Jinping and Putin 13 and 25 years as leader respectively.
Homes and infrastructure were badly damaged[/caption]
