Russian strike kills at least 51 in Poltava, Ukraine, in one of deadliest attacks of war
Two ballistic missiles hit an educational facility and nearby hospital in Ukraine on Tuesday, killing at least 51 people and leaving many others trapped under rubble in one of the deadliest strikes of Vladimir Putin’s war.
More than 200 people were injured in the attack, which partially destroyed the Military Institute of Communications in the central Ukraine city of Poltava, causing several stories to collapse, while the shockwaves smashed windows and damaged the exteriors of nearby high-rise buildings.
“Russian scum will pay for this strike,” the country’s president Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram. “We continue to urge everyone in the world who has the power to stop this terror: Ukraine needs air defence systems and missiles now, not sitting in storage.” First lady Olena Zelenska called it a “stunning tragedy for all of Ukraine”.
Ukraine’s defence ministry condemned the “barbaric” attack, saying the time interval between air raid sirens sounding and the missiles hitting had been so short that many victims were caught up in the attack as they headed to bomb shelters.
It added that 25 people were rescued from the building, 11 of whom were pulled from under the rubble, though efforts were reportedly delayed in the immediate aftermath of the strike by constant air raid alerts.
As rescuers sought to save those still buried, regional governor Philip Pronin urged residents to donate blood to help aid survivors and vowed that Russia “must answer for all crimes against humanity”.
Ukraine’s land forces later confirmed that service personnel were killed inside the military institute. An investigation was underway to establish whether enough was done to protect the personnel, a statement said.
Some Ukrainian lawmakers and military personnel questioned why such a large group was congregated in the area, given Russia’s history of targeting crowded facilities.
“This isn’t the first time Russia has targeted crowded facilities,” wrote a former Ukrainian officer who runs the analytical group Frontelligence Insight. “It seems many generals still haven’t learned some basic lessons, even in the third year of the war.”
Pro-war Russian military bloggers, meanwhile, some with millions of followers, celebrated the attack as a military success. They claimed the casualties were as high as 700, without providing evidence, and referred to the victims as soldiers.
The attack came as Mongolia failed to arrest Mr Putin when the Russian president visited the country on Tuesday, despite it being a member of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) Rome Statute.
Mr Putin is facing an international arrest warrant over alleged war crimes in Ukraine, meaning Mongolia is legally obliged to detain the Russian president and transport him to The Hague, Netherlands, where the ICC is headquartered.
But he received a red carpet welcome upon arrival. In the main square in Ulaanbaatar, the capital, the Russian leader was treated to an honour guard dressed in vivid red and blue uniforms styled on those of the personal guard of 13th-century ruler Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol empire.
A throng of people watched from behind temporary barriers as Mr Putin and Mongolian president Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh walked up the red-carpeted steps of the Government Palace and bowed toward a statue of Khan before entering the building for their meetings.
