The strike hit the institute, which has been training military telecommunications specialists since the 1960s, on Tuesday, September 3. Ukrainian authorities have not specified how many of the victims were soldiers and how many civilians.
At least 55 people were killed and more than 300 others injured in the Russian strike that hit a military institute in Poltava, in central Ukraine, on Tuesday, September 3, according to a new report from the authorities on Thursday, September 5.
“The death toll from a Russian missile attack on an educational institution in the city stands at 55” and 328 injured, the State Emergency Service said on Telegram.
2,000 tonnes of debris cleared
The Interior Ministry announced that “emergency and rescue operations at the scene of the attack have been completed.” According to rescue services, more than 2,000 tons of debris have been cleared.
The attack drew widespread condemnation, including from the United States, which called it “another horrific reminder of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s brutality.”
Popular Ukrainian bloggers and officials reacted angrily to the attack on Tuesday, accusing the military command of leaving a large concentration of soldiers in one place, making them an easy target for Moscow.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has ordered a “full and prompt investigation” into the circumstances of the strike. Russia has said the attack targeted a Ukrainian military “training center.”
