Another Russian Rocket Strike in Poltava During Evacuation
- Russian aggression in Poltava results in over 50 fatalities and over 200 injuries.
Reportedly, in one of the recent severe Russian rocket assaults since the commencement of the conflict, over 50 individuals lost their lives in the central Ukrainian city of Poltava. As per the Minister of Defense's spokesperson, the number of wounded individuals has increased to 219.
Second Rocket Hits During Emergency Response
The city's residents and emergency services were still making their way to air-raid shelters when the air alert was triggered. Online platforms and local media encouraged donations of blood and volunteer assistance for the injured.
Poltava's governor, Philip Pronin, stated that roughly 18 individuals might be trapped under the rubble. According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the rockets targeted "an educational institution and a nearby hospital" in Poltava. "A portion of the Institute of Communications' building was destroyed," Zelenskyy further explained on Telegram.
"The window broke open. Dust was everywhere. I just had enough time to alert my sister about the rocket," expressed local resident Yevgeniya Chyrva.
Prior to the conflict, Poltava had a population of about 300,000, and it lies approximately 300 kilometers east of Kyiv.
Baerbock: "Putin Shows No Mercy"
Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) asserted on X messaging service that the second rocket struck "while responders were already attending to the injured." Allegedly, Russian President Vladimir Putin "shows no mercy," Baerbock remarked. "He must be held accountable," she demanded. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy wrote on X that the attack on Poltava was yet another "despicable act of aggression in Putin's brutal and illegal war in Ukraine."
Nevertheless, harsh criticism of the Ukrainian military leadership also emerged following the attack. Russian military bloggers claimed that the attack targeted an outdoor military ceremony. Critics questioned the decision to hold such gatherings amidst Russian assaults. "How can such a vast crowd convene in such an institution?" questioned Ukrainian military blogger Sergei Naumovich, for instance.
Zelenskyy Requests Additional Weapons
Zelenskyy announced that a thorough and prompt investigation would be carried out into the Poltava attack's circumstances. He vowed that Russia "will be held responsible" and repeated his plea for Kyiv's Western allies to promptly provide Ukraine with new air defense systems and allow the use of long-range weapons already supplied for attacks on Russian territory.
The European Parliament's President, Ursula von der Leyen, expressed her condolences over the Poltava attack, urging for peace and solidarity with Ukraine. In response to Baerbock's assertions, the President of the European Parliament, [The President of the European Parliament], stated that the international community must stand united against Russia's actions.
