Russian strike kills at least 41, injures 180 in central part of country, Zelensky says

At least 41 people were killed and 180 injured in a Russian missile strike that targeted a military institute in the central Ukrainian city of Poltava, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday.

According to Volodymyr Zelensky, two ballistic missiles hit “an educational institution and a nearby hospital”. “One of the buildings of the Institute of Communications was partially destroyed. People found themselves under the rubble.”he said on Telegram.

“More than 180 people were injured. Unfortunately, there are many deaths. At present, 41 people have been declared dead.”Volodymyr Zelensky continued. According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, the strike took place in a very short time between the moment the air defense alert was triggered and the arrival of the two missiles. “They surprised people evacuating to the underground shelter”he explained.

Outdoor military ceremony

“Thanks to the coordinated work of rescuers and doctors, 25 people were rescued, 11 of whom were able to be freed from the rubble. Rescuers are currently continuing their work.”the ministry added. Ukrainian military bloggers, for their part, claimed that the missiles had targeted an official outdoor military ceremony. Member of Parliament’s Defense Committee and a strong critic of the Ukrainian military command, Mariana Bezugla, expressed regret on Telegram that no high-ranking officers had been punished for endangering groups of servicemen during similar incidents in the past.

“Tragedies keep happening. When will it stop?”she wrote. The Ukrainian president said he had ordered “a complete and rapid investigation” on the circumstances that allowed this Russian attack. He also promised to hold Russia “for responsible” and once again called on kyiv’s Western allies to urgently deliver more air defense systems and to allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory with the long-range missiles it has been supplied with.