The Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly condemned the Russian airstrike on the Ukrainian village of Yarova in Donetsk, resulting in the deaths of dozens of civilians. This was conveyed through a statement on social media platform X.
Led by Paulo Rangel, the ministry expressed its heartfelt condolences to the families, the Ukrainian people, and their authorities, emphasizing the urgent need to end Russian aggression.
The Ukrainian embassy in Portugal shared the ministry’s message on the same platform, expressing gratitude for Portugal’s solidarity and condemnation of “another barbaric Russian attack on civilians in the Donetsk region.”
O MNE condena liminarmente o ataque aéreo russo à aldeia ucraniana de Yarova, no Donetsk, que resultou em duas dezenas de mortos civis. Deixa as mais sentidas condolências às famílias, ao povo ucraniano e às suas autoridades. O fim da agressão russa é urgente.
— Negócios Estrangeiros PT (@nestrangeiro_pt) September 9, 2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today accused Russia of carrying out a “brutally savage air attack on the rural settlement of Yarova in the Donetsk region,” located in eastern Ukraine.
According to the latest reports, the attack resulted in at least 24 fatalities, as reported by the Efe agency.
The village of Yarova is situated less than ten kilometers from the frontline with Russia. Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, it had a population of about 1,800 inhabitants.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Denis Shmigal, speaking in London today, urged Western allies to quickly send air defense systems and ammunition to counter Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy system before winter.
On Sunday, Russia launched its largest drone attack of the entire war, deploying 810 drones, over half of which were unmanned Shahed attack vehicles, along with 13 missiles.
One of the missiles struck Ukraine’s government headquarters in Kiev, marking the first attack of such magnitude on a civilian decision-making center throughout the war.
A day later, Russian forces targeted the largest thermal power plant in the Kiev region with 49 drones, according to Shmigal, who also mentioned today’s Russian bombing in Yarova.
Shmigal further insisted that Ukraine requires $6 billion (5.1 billion euros, at the current exchange rate) to produce drones, including interceptors to neutralize Russian drones and both short- and long-range unmanned attack vehicles.
The Ukrainian Defense Minister warned that Ukraine could lose its advantage over Russia in the field of short-range drones.
Shmigal also reiterated calls for partners to allocate a total of $60 billion (51.2 billion euros) in defense spending to address what he described as the threat posed by Russian military aggression against Ukraine and the rest of Europe.
