Russian glide bomb attack in eastern Ukraine kills 24 people collecting their pensions

A Russian glide bomb struck a village in eastern Ukraine as people stood in line in the open air to collect their monthly pension. The blast killed at least 24 people and injured 19 others, the Ukraine Emergency Service said.

In a related development, Poland’s armed forces were on a heightened state of alert yesterday [Macau time] and yesterday because of what they described as “further massive airstrikes against targets located in Ukraine.”

“To ensure the security of Polish airspace, the operational commander of the Polish armed forces has activated all necessary procedures. Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, and ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems have reached the highest level of alert,” the Operational Command of Poland’s Armed Forces said in a statement posted on social media.

It said the actions were “preventative” and designed to secure the country’s airspace and protect people in “areas adjacent to the threatened area.”

Warsaw’s Chopin Airport warned passengers on its website that flight operations were on hold due to closure of the airspace over part of the country, but that the airport remained open.