At least 47 people were killed and 206 wounded when Russia struck a military institute in the central town of Poltava with two missiles on Tuesday (September 3, 2024), Ukraine’s first lady said, the war’s deadliest single attack this year.
Photographs posted on social media showed several bodies lying around covered in dust and debris, with the badly damaged side of a large building behind them. It was not immediately clear who the victims were. Ukrainian military bloggers suggested some might be cadets or recently mobilised men undergoing training.
“The Russians will definitely be held accountable for this strike,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on the Telegram app.
He ordered a full and prompt investigation, saying the strike with two ballistic missiles damaged a building of the Military Institute of Communications.
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The use of ballistic missiles, which hit targets hundreds of kilometres away within a few minutes of their launch, meant the victims had almost no time to find cover after the air raid siren sounded, the Foreign Ministry said.
“This is a stunning tragedy for all of Ukraine. The enemy hit an educational institution and a hospital,” Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, wrote on X.
Russia has intensified its missile and drone attacks on Ukraine two-and-a-half years into the full-scale war. Last week, Ukraine was pummelled with the heaviest bombardment to date.
On Monday, ballistic and cruise missiles targeted Kyiv causing loud explosions.
Ukraine also targeted Russia with more than 158 drones at the weekend, damaging an oil refinery near Moscow and a power station.
Mr. Zelenskyy repeated his calls for more Western air defences and urged allies to allow their long-range weapons to be used for strikes deeper into Russian territory in order to protect Ukraine.
“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. Long-range strikes that can protect us from Russian terror are needed now, not some time later. Unfortunately, every day of delay means loss of life.”
In Poltava, Governor Filip Pronin said many residents had donated blood for the wounded.
The identities of the victims were not immediately disclosed.
