Statement from Danielle Bell, the head of the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine

We are working to obtain more information on an alleged Russian aerial bomb attack that reportedly killed 24 and injured 19 people this morning during pension distribution in the village of Yarova, Donetsk region, less than 8 kilometers from the frontline. According to local authorities, the majority of those killed were older persons, collecting their pensions. 

The images of the attack’s immediate aftermath shared by the Ukrainian authorities are horrifying. Civilian casualties continue to be concentrated near the frontline, where over 60 per cent of losses occur, with older persons and persons with disabilities disproportionately affected.

Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine’s findings show that powerful aerial bombs dropped by Russian armed forces accounted for 15 per cent of civilian casualties in 2025, with particularly high numbers in July (67 killed and 209 injured). The Mission also documented that approximately 63 per cent of all civilian casualties in 2025 occurred near the frontline, with disproportionate harm to older persons and persons with disabilities. Over 43 per cent of civilians killed in frontline areas were over 60 years old. 

International humanitarian law prohibits attacks on civilians. It also stipulates that utmost care must be taken to avoid civilian casualties during combat activities.