A Russian airstrike on the eastern Ukrainian settlement of Yarova killed 24 civilians on Tuesday, officials in Kyiv confirmed. The victims had gathered to collect pension payments when the strike hit.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the incident, calling it a “brutally savage” attack on innocent people. Video released by him showed destroyed vehicles and bodies near a playground, though the images could not be independently verified. Ukraine’s interior ministry confirmed that Russia used a glide bomb in the strike.
Yarova, located close to the front lines, had fewer than 2,000 residents before the war. Locals gathered outside a morgue as bodies were identified. Ukraine’s prosecutor general has launched a war crimes investigation into the attack. Moscow has not commented on the strike.
The tragedy coincided with another escalation involving Poland. Warsaw confirmed that Russian drones crossed into its airspace during the same wave of strikes on Ukraine. Poland’s Operation Command described the violation as “an act of aggression” that threatened civilian safety.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Polish forces responded with weapons to neutralize the drones. He added that NATO was immediately informed of the airspace breach.
In response, Poland temporarily closed Warsaw Chopin Airport and two other airports, citing unplanned military activity. Territorial Defense Forces were deployed to search for drone debris. NATO aircraft were scrambled, and Poland placed its air defense systems on high alert.
Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed that Poland remained in constant contact with NATO command. He emphasized that protecting national airspace is a top priority.
The incident followed Russia’s largest drone assault on Ukraine over the weekend, involving more than 800 drones and strikes on government buildings in Kyiv. With both Ukraine suffering heavy losses and Poland facing direct threats, concerns over wider regional escalation continue to grow.
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