Russian missile strike kills 41 people and wounds 180 in Ukrainian city of Poltava, Zelenskyy says

Two Russian ballistic missiles struck a military training facility and nearby hospital in a central-eastern region of Ukraine, killing at least 41 people and wounding 180 others, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday. The strike occurred in the city of Poltava, the capital of the region of the same name, officials said. 

Poltava is located about 200 miles southeast of Kyiv. The city is on the main highway and rail route between Kyiv and Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, which is close to the Russian border.

The strike appeared to be one of the deadliest carried out by Russian forces since the war began more than 900 days ago, with Russia’s Feb. 24, 2022 full-scale invasion.  

“One of the buildings of the (Poltava Military) Institute of Communications was partially destroyed. People found themselves under the rubble. Many were saved,” Zelenskyy said in a video posted on his Telegram channel.

“All necessary services are involved in the rescue operation,” he added. He said he had ordered “a full and prompt investigation” into what happened. The president didn’t provide any further details.

The missiles hit shortly after the air raid alert sounded, when many people were on their way to a bomb shelter, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said, describing the strike as “barbaric.”

Rescue crews and medics saved 25 people, 11 of them dug out from the rubble, a Defense Ministry statement said.

Zelenskyy repeated his appeal for Ukraine’s Western partners to ensure swift delivery of military aid. He has previously chided the U.S. and European countries for being slow to make good on their pledges of help.

He also wants them to ease restrictions on what Ukraine can target on Russian soil with the weapons they provide. Some countries fear that hitting Russia could escalate the war.

“Ukraine needs air defense systems and missiles now, not sitting in storage,” Zelenskyy wrote in English on Telegram.

“Long-range strikes that can protect us from Russian terror are needed now, not later. Every day of delay, unfortunately, means more lost lives,” he said.

Neither Russia nor Ukraine have shown any real signs of willingness to reach a negotiated end to the war, with both sides pursuing ambitious ground offensives over the summer. Ukrainian forces have pushed deep into Russia’s Kursk region, while the Russian army has delved deeper into eastern Ukraine’s largely occupied Donetsk region.

Ukraine’s air force said Monday that Russia had launched an overnight barrage of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones at Kyiv as children prepared to return to school. Multiple explosions echoed across the capital early Monday morning as Ukraine’s air defenses shot down many of the weapons, causing damage and fires as the debris fell onto the capital.