By A Russian missile strike on a military institute in the central Ukrainian town of Poltava killed at least 51 people and wounded 271 on Tuesday, making it the deadliest single attack in the war this year.
Two ballistic missiles hit the Military Institute of Communications, partially destroying one of its buildings, the Ukrainian defense ministry reported. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed that soldiers were among the casualties but did not specify the number of military personnel killed.
“The Russian scum will definitely be held accountable for this strike,” Zelenskiy said on Telegram, ordering a full investigation.
Poltava regional governor Filip Pronin stated that 15 people may still be trapped under the rubble. Emergency services initially reported 50 deaths, with officials later updating the toll to 51.
Ukraine’s land forces announced they are investigating whether sufficient measures were taken to protect soldiers at the facility. The foreign ministry noted that the use of ballistic missiles, which can hit targets hundreds of kilometers away within minutes, left victims little time to seek shelter after air raid sirens sounded.
Dmytro Lazutkin, a Defense Ministry spokesman, told national TV that classes were in session when the attack occurred at 09:08 local time (0608 GMT). People rushed to shelters, but explosions followed minutes after the air alert.
The strike has prompted renewed calls from Zelenskiy for increased Western air defenses and permission to use long-range weapons for strikes deeper into Russian territory. “We keep telling everyone in the world who has the power to stop this terror: air defence systems and missiles are needed in Ukraine, not in a warehouse somewhere,” he said.
This attack comes amid an intensification of missile and drone strikes by Russia over the past two-and-a-half years of the full-scale war. Last week, Ukraine faced its heaviest bombardment to date, while on Monday, ballistic and cruise missiles targeted Kyiv.
Ukraine has also increased its attacks on Russian territory, launching over 158 drones at the weekend, damaging an oil refinery near Moscow and a power station. Fighting has escalated over the past month, with Russian forces advancing in eastern Ukraine and Kyiv’s troops mounting their first large-scale cross-border assault into Russia’s Kursk region.
Local authorities in Poltava announced three days of mourning, with about 150 residents donating blood for the wounded.
This is not the first time Russia has struck military facilities far from the frontlines with mass casualties. In May 2022, Russia claimed to have hit a training ground for reserve forces in Desna, where Ukraine reported 87 deaths. In March of the same year, 35 people died in a Russian strike on a military base in western Ukraine.
REUTERS
