Over fifty fatalities and two hundred injuries reported in Russian assault within Poltava, Ukraine.
According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, two missiles struck shortly following the activation of the air alert, with many individuals still en route to safety shelters. Digital platforms and local media encouraged the populace to donate blood and aid in the treatment of the injured.
In the evening, Poltava's governor, Philip Pronin, expressed concern that up to 18 individuals might still be trapped beneath the debris. As per President Volodymyr Zelensky, the missiles had targeted "an educational institution and a neighboring hospital" in Poltava. "A portion of the Institute of Communications' building was damaged," Zelensky explained via Telegram.
Located approximately 300 kilometers east of Kyiv, Poltava was home to around 300,000 people prior to the conflict. Established in the 1960s during Ukraine's Soviet Union tenure, the military Institute of Communications is responsible for the training of telecommunications specialists.
Local resident Yevgeniya Chyrva shared her experience, stating "The window burst open. There was dust everywhere. I just had enough time to caution my sister about the missile."
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) spoke out on X, indicating that the second missile had struck "as aid workers were already tending to the wounded." She lambasted Russian President Vladimir Putin as having "no limits to his brutality," demandining that he be held accountable. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy wrote on X that the attack on Poltava was yet another "despicable and unlawful act of aggression in Putin's war on Ukraine."
The spokesman for the US National Security Council, John Kirby, labeled the attack as "another dreadful reminder of Putin's cruelty towards the Ukrainian people."
However, strong criticism of the Ukrainian military leadership also emerged soon after the attack. Russian military bloggers claimed that the target was intended for an outdoor military ceremony. Critics questioned the wisdom of hosting such gatherings amidst the threat of Russian attacks. "How could such a substantial number of individuals gather at such an institution?" Ukrainian military blogger Sergei Naumovich inquired, for example.
Ukrainian MP Mariana Besugla, a member of the defense committee and frequent critic of the Ukrainian military leadership, accused high-ranking officers of endangering the troops through such events. She explained on Telegram that prior incidents had gone unpunished, despite posing a threat to the soldiers.
Poltava's governor, Pronin, explained that his administration could not release further details about the attack's circumstances due to security reasons. "The enemy employs every tactic to inflict more suffering on Ukraine and confuse its people. Trust only dependable sources," he emphasized.
Zelensky announced the initiation of a thorough and swift investigation into the attack's circumstances in Poltava. He asserted that Russia "will be penalized" and urged the Western allies of Kyiv to swiftly provide his nation with new air defense systems and allow the use of long-range weapons already delivered for strikes against Russian territory.
The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, strongly condemned the missile attack in Poltava and expressed solidarity with Ukraine. Following Zelensky's appeal, Metsola urged the European Union to expedite the delivery of additional air defense systems to Ukraine.
In response to the incident, the President of the European Parliament's Conference of Presidents, David Sassoli, expressed his deep concern and offered the European Parliament's support to the Ukrainian people in their time of need.
