On September 9, 2025, a Russian glide-bomb struck a pension disbursal point in Yarova, Donetsk, killing at least twenty-four civilians and injuring others. Within hours, RT published denials sourced to an unnamed Russian Defense Ministry source, while RT’s X account claimed the story “was born” on President Zelensky’s feed and amplified by “Ukrainian propaganda.”
The Claim:
RT states that President Volodymyr Zelensky “falsely” claimed a Russian airstrike on civilians in Donbas; an unnamed Russian Ministry of Defense source insists there were “no strikes in the area” and that the crater “does not match an aerial bomb impact.” A subsequent Tweet from RT stated that: “No reports of any attack or victims existed until Zelensky’s social media post appeared… The story was born in his feed… [and] amplified by Ukrainian propaganda channels… It fits an agenda to pretend that Kiev cares about the people of the Donetsk People’s Republic.”
The Facts:
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The attack is independently documented. Reuters published text + wire photos from Yarova confirming 24 civilians killed at a pension queue; its wire carried on-scene images and an article time-stamped Sep 9, 2025 (13:23 UTC).
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Others separately reported the same event with casualty counts and details (glide bomb; pension disbursal). AP NewsLos Angeles Times
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The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine issued an official statement on Sep 9 condemning a “horrific” attack on civilians during pension distribution in Yarova—clear evidence the story did not “begin” on one politician’s feed.
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Ukrainian officials apart from Zelensky reported the strike: Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko and Donetsk governor Vadym Filashkin relayed details on Telegram.
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Kyiv’s provision of pensions in frontline areas is real and documented: Ukrposhta runs mobile payouts; after the strike, officials discussed procedural changes for safer distributions—directly contradicting RT’s insinuation that Kyiv only “pretends” to care.
- RT cites only an anonymous Russian MoD “source,” offers no verifiable evidence, and its denial conflicts with multi-source, on-site reporting and imagery from international agencies. This fits a long-running pattern of Kremlin atrocity denial.
Narrative Context:
- This is a textbook Kremlin denial/distraction play: dismiss civilian-casualty reporting, attack the messenger (“Zelensky lies”), and inject pseudo-forensics (“the crater shape”) to muddy clear evidence. The goal is to blunt outrage and accountability for suspected war-crime incidents against civilians.
- It follows Russia’s largest recent air assaults and comes amid repeated claims that Moscow “doesn’t target civilians,” despite extensive independent documentation of such strikes.
