Dozens killed in Russian attack on Poltava

Poltava suffered a ballistic missile strike. The Russians fired two ballistic missiles at the Military Institute of Communications. This resulted in 180 people being injured and 41 people killed.

According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the missiles struck the grounds of the educational institution and a neighboring hospital. One of the buildings of the Institute of Communications was partially destroyed, trapping people under the rubble. Many have been rescued.

Zelenskyy reported that more than 180 people were injured and confirmed that 41 people have died.

“I have ordered a full and prompt investigation into all the circumstances of what happened. All necessary services are involved in the rescue operation», — he added.

The ballistic missile strike on Poltava occurred in the morning. The Russians attacked the city at 09:10 a.m., just two minutes after the air alert was announced.

“The time interval between the alert and the hit of the deadly missiles was so short that it caught people in the middle of evacuating to the bomb shelter», — the Ministry of Defence said.

Minister of Internal affairs Ihor Klymenko stated that rescuers have localized the fire and are continuing to clear the rubble. So far, 25 people have been rescued, 11 of them from under the debris. All victims are being immediately taken to doctors for medical care.

Klymenko also noted that there is a residential area near the impact site. The shock wave shattered windows in the high-rise buildings and damaged facades. Police are conducting door-to-door checks to see if there are any additional victims. More than a hundred reports of damaged property have already been filed.

In recent days, Russians have significantly increased the number of ballistic missile attacks. On 1 September, Kharkiv experienced massive ballistic missile strikes. In the evening of 2 September, the Russians attacked Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia with ballistic missiles. One person was killed in Dnipro, and two were killed in Zaporizhzhia. The victims in Zaporizhzhia were family members of the owner of a hotel that was hit by a Russian missile.