A ballistic missile struck a Ukrainian military academy and a nearby hospital, in one of the deadliest single attacks by Russian forces on a Ukrainian city since the invasion resumed two and a half years ago.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the nation on Tuesday, saying that Poltava Military University of Communications' teaching facilities and hospital had been hit by missiles, with one of the university's buildings “partially destroyed.” The president said people were trapped in the rubble, and at the time of the statement, 41 people were said to have been killed and 180 injured. Ukraine has since revised the death toll to 47 and the number of injured to 206.
Update 1610 BST — Death toll rises again
The death toll again rose to 49, with 219 injured. The Ukrainian government also denied claims on local social media that the airstrike had hit a military cadet procession. According to the BBC, the Defense Ministry said “classes were in session at the school… No processions or other events were taking place at the time of the airstrike.”
The strikes were the deadliest this year. According to Reuters.
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Ukrainian state media said 11 people were rescued alive from the rubble. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said two Russian ballistic missiles had hit Poltava, but many of the victims were trapped as they fled to bomb shelters because of the short time between the missiles being detected and the air raid warning being issued.
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Ukrainian authorities said the attack blew out windows in hundreds of nearby homes, but did not confirm when it took place.
Responding to news of the mass casualty attack, President Zelensky called on Western countries to build up Ukraine's air defenses to protect it from “Russian scum.” “I once again call on everyone in the world who has the power to stop this terrorism: air defense systems and missiles are needed on Ukrainian soil, not in some warehouse,” he said, according to a translation of his remarks by the Ukrainian side.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also called on the international community to take action, saying in a statement: “What Russia is doing in Ukraine is pure evil and terrorism aimed at eradicating, killing and destroying. Like any crime, this one requires a strong response from the international community – not just statements, but decisions and actions capable of repelling this evil.”
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Guardian newspaper Cite the claim The group has said on social media that the attack occurred during a parade at the academy, when students would have been outdoors and not hiding, but noted that authorities have not confirmed these claims.
Meanwhile, three senior ministers in Zelensky's government also announced their resignations on Tuesday afternoon – the minister of arms production, the minister of justice and the minister of environment – but their reasons for resigning have not yet been made public.
The attack is the deadliest single attack on Ukrainian soil so far in the war and the deadliest this year. From Reuters — This came at a critical time in Ukraine’s defensive war against Russia: Kiev’s counter-invasion of Russia was a morale booster, but it also increased Russia’s territorial gains inside Ukraine.
Agence France-Presse The analysis published Monday Russia claims to have gained 184 square miles of Ukrainian territory in August, its largest gain in a single month since October 2022, when the front line became more mobile. Overall, Russia controls about 25,000 square miles of Ukraine, while Ukraine controls about 500 square miles of Russia, according to the analysis.
Russia says it shot down more than 150 drones in biggest attack on Ukrainehttps://t.co/H5rUQXj6LE
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) September 1, 2024
