74-year-old Valentyna Polovynko was killed on September 9, 2025, in the village of Yarova, Kramatorsk district.
The woman was standing in line to receive her pension when Russian forces dropped a guided aerial bomb (KAB) on Yarova.
Valentyna was born and lived her entire life in Yarova. Relatives recall that she had been hardworking since childhood. After school, she trained as a bricklayer and worked in her profession for some time. She also worked as a nanny in a kindergarten and later at the railway.
“My mother-in-law worked as a switch operator in Lyman. It was very hard work. Later, due to health issues, she was transferred to a guard position. In all her free time she worked in the garden — growing strawberries and taking them, along with other produce, to the market. She always wanted to earn an extra penny to help her children. But beyond that, she truly loved the land. I lived with my mother-in-law for 19 years. She accepted me like her own daughter. She was a wonderful woman — compassionate, a caring mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother,” her daughter-in-law Tetiana shared.
In recent years, Valentyna had complained about her health. In 2024, she had to bury her eldest son and see her younger son off to the army. Relatives say she was deeply distressed by these losses.
On September 9, 2025, Valentyna, her husband, and daughter-in-law planned to evacuate from Yarova to Izium. Their belongings were packed, and a vehicle was scheduled to arrive at 2:00 p.m. In the morning, Valentyna and her husband went to collect their pension at a mobile Ukrposhta office. Russian forces struck the location with an aerial bomb. Valentyna was killed on the spot. Her husband was wounded and taken to hospital, where he underwent surgery followed by prolonged treatment. As a result of that Russian attack, 25 people were killed in Yarova.
Valentyna Polovynko is survived by her husband, son, daughter-in-law, sister, two grandchildren, and other relatives.
At 9:00 a.m. — a nationwide minute of silence.
The Donetsk Regional Military Administration and the Memorial platform “Killed by Russia” honor civilians of Donetsk region murdered by Russian forces.