A Russian bombing targeting a military institute in the city of Poltava, in the center of the country, also hit “an educational establishment and a neighboring hospital” on Tuesday, September 3, according to the Ukrainian president.
At least 41 people were killed and 180 injured in a Russian missile strike on the city of Poltava (central Ukraine), Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Telegram on Tuesday, September 3. According to the Ukrainian president, two ballistic missiles targeted a military institute and hit “an educational institution and a nearby hospital”. He adds that “One of the buildings of the Institute of Communications was partially destroyed” and that “People found themselves under the rubble”Several Ukrainian military bloggers, for their part, claimed that the missiles had targeted an official outdoor military ceremony.
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”The ministry adds that, “Thanks to the coordinated work of rescuers and doctors, 25 people were rescued, 11 of whom were able to be freed from the rubble.”According to Ukrainian authorities, rescuers are currently continuing their work.
MP Mariana Bezugla, a member of the parliament’s defense committee and a strong critic of the Ukrainian military command, 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.
More information to come…
