Zelensky comments on the attack on Poltava in an interview with NBC News

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky commented on the tragedy in Poltava, where two Russian ballistic missiles struck the city, killing over 50 people. As of the morning of 5 September, 54 people had been killed, and 297 were injured or wounded.

He made these remarks in an interview with NBC News.

«It was a calculated missile strike. The missile, according to current information, was in the air for about three minutes, giving people little time to reach the bomb shelter. It is now believed that many were injured or killed while attempting to take cover. Although people reacted quickly, they were unable to save themselves,» Zelenskyy said.

Russian Attack on Poltava

On 3 September, Poltava experienced a ballistic missile attack. Russian forces fired two ballistic missiles at the Military Institute of Communications.

According to Volodymyr Zelensky, both the territory of the educational institution and a nearby hospital were hit in the city. One of the buildings of the Institute of Communications was partially destroyed, trapping people under the rubble. Many were rescued.

«I have ordered a full and prompt investigation into all the circumstances of what happened. All necessary services are involved in the rescue operation,» Zelenskyy wrote.

The ballistic missile struck Poltava in the morning, with the Russian attack occurring at 09:10—just two minutes after the air raid alert was announced.

«The time between the alert and the arrival of the deadly missiles was so short that it caught people in the middle of evacuating to the bomb shelter,» the Ministry of Defence stated.

Since 4 September, Poltava and the surrounding region have been observing three days of mourning for the victims of the Russian ballistic missile strike, as announced by Philip Pronin, head of the Poltava Regional Military Administration.

Earlier, Oleksiy Boychuk, a journalist for the My-Poltava online publication, discussed the consequences of the occupiers’ attack on the city during a live broadcast on Hromadske Radio. The journalist noted that the condition of the wounded varies. Many people at the scene were covered in blood, and some were lying on the ground. According to available data, the city’s hospitals are filled with victims of Russian terror.