Russian missile strike in Ukraine’s Poltava kills at least 51 people and injures over 200

A Russian missile strike killed at least 41 people and injured more than 180 in the Ukrainian city of Poltava on Tuesday, according to the Ukrainian authorities. Russian troops launched two ballistic missiles, hitting the campus of the Military Institute of Telecommunications and Information Technologies and a nearby hospital, said President Volodymyr Zelensky. This strike is one of the deadliest and most devastating by Russian forces since the start of the full-scale war. The Ukrainian president condemned the attack and urged the West to expedite the delivery of air defense systems to Ukraine.

Update: At least 51 people were killed in the attack, according to the latest data from the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office. Regional authorities reported another 219 wounded.

On September 3, Russia launched a missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Poltava, killing at least 41 people and injuring over 180, reported President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Two explosions occurred at around 9:10 a.m. local time, just two minutes after an air raid alert was issued in the city, according to the Ukrainian outlet Suspilne. Zelensky said that two ballistic missiles hit the grounds of an educational institution and a hospital. He added that a building at the Military Institute of Telecommunications and Information Technologies was partially destroyed and that people were trapped under the rubble. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry wrote that 25 people were saved, 11 of whom were pulled from the debris. The ministry also noted that there was so little time between the air raid alert and the strike that many people were caught outside on their way to shelters.

Zelensky said that he had ordered a “full and prompt investigation” into the attack. “All necessary services have been mobilized for the rescue operation. I am grateful to everyone who, from the very first moments after the strike, has been helping people and saving lives,” he added.

One of the targets of the Russian strike was the Military Institute of Telecommunications and Information Technologies. The 179th Signal Troops Training Center is located on the grounds of the institute, according to BBC News Ukrainian. Russian pro-war blogger Boris Rozhin shared photos and videos from the strike site on his Telegram channel. Russian military bloggers claimed that the strike occurred during a military assembly and that at least 50 people were killed.

Buildings near the impact site were also damaged, reported Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. The blast wave shattered windows and damaged the facades of the apartment buildings. Police are going door to door to check for any injured residents, and there are already around 100 reports of property damage.

Filipp Pronin, the region’s governor, wrote that Poltava residents are donating blood. “All relevant services are working on site. The coordinated efforts of rescuers and medical personnel have saved many lives today,” Pronin stated.

Pronin declared a three-day mourning period in the Poltava region starting from September 4. “[This is] a great tragedy for the Poltava region and the entire country. The enemy’s treacherous strike claimed 41 lives and injured more than 180 people. My sincere condolences to their families and loved ones,” he wrote on Telegram.

Russia’s Defense Ministry has not commented on the attack.