Russian strike on Izium kills five disease control centre staff who rebuilt laboratories after liberation

Five women who worked at a branch of the Kharkiv Oblast Centre for Disease Control and Prevention were killed in a Russian guided aerial bomb attack on the city of Izium on 29 October, Ukraine's Ministry of Health has reported. All five had been among the first to return to their jobs after the city was liberated from Russian occupation.

Paying tribute to the staff, the ministry said: "They cleared the damaged premises themselves, swept up shattered glass and gradually restored the laboratories' operations so they could continue protecting people's health and safety."

Among those killed was Viktoriia Prokopenko, who had dreamed of becoming a doctor since her school days and went on to devote her life to protecting public health. She spent 36 years working in healthcare and headed the sanitary and hygiene laboratory. Colleagues described her as a highly skilled professional and a kind, compassionate person. She would have turned 59 on 3 November and leaves behind a husband, a daughter and a grandson.

Yuliia Dovzhenko also died in the strike. She had served as a laboratory technician in the bacteriology laboratory for almost 38 years, giving most of her life to her profession. Her colleagues remember her as sincere, friendly and conscientious, someone always ready to help. She would have turned 57 on 2 November and is survived by her husband, son, two granddaughters and sister.

The attack also claimed the life of Valentyna Prus, a laboratory technician in the sanitary and hygiene laboratory since 2021. In that time she earned a reputation among colleagues as a dedicated and highly professional specialist, and she is remembered as exceptionally compassionate, sincere and warm-hearted. Valentyna was 55 years old and is survived by her husband and daughter.

Anzhela Prokhortseva, an accountant who had returned to her duties after Izium was liberated, was also killed. When the strike hit, she was on the phone with colleagues at the oblast centre, who heard the whistling of an incoming Russian aerial bomb and her attempts to escape before the connection went dead. Anzhela was 54 and leaves behind two daughters.

The fifth victim, Olena Hryshchenko, worked as a cleaner, ensuring her colleagues had a clean and comfortable workplace every day. Although she had joined the team relatively recently, she had quickly become an integral part of it. She was 58 years old.

Russian forces attacked Izium with three guided aerial bombs on 29 October, killing five people and injuring 12 others. In an earlier incident in Kharkiv Oblast, 80-year-old Valentyna Mikhnova was killed when Russian aircraft dropped 10 guided aerial bombs on her village.