Russian missile attack on Poltava killed over 50

By Web Desk

POLTAVA, Ukraine — More than 50 people were killed and hundreds wounded on Tuesday when a Russian missile attack targeted the central Ukrainian city of Poltava, hitting a military educational institute and an adjoining hospital, in one of the deadliest single assaults of the war.

By Tuesday evening, a scene that has become tragically familiar in Ukraine was playing out once more: search-and-rescue volunteers with dogs arrived to find victims trapped under the rubble, while small excavators worked to remove debris from a shattered building. Air raid sirens sounded again around 6:30 p.m., sending the rescuers to cover for half an hour before they resumed their work. President Volodymyr Zelensky said two ballistic missiles hit the city, trapping people under rubble.

search-and-rescue volunteers with dogs arrived to find victims trapped under the rubble, while small excavators worked to remove debris from a shattered building.

It came in conjunction with fresh attempts by Ukrainian leaders to push their allies to waive curbs on Ukraine’s freedom to strike at Russian military sites inside Russia. For some time, Ukraine has been of the view that such restrictions, by states like the United States, hamper its ability to bring an end to the Russian missile attacks through an attack destroying Russian military infrastructure.

“We continue to urge everybody in the world who can stop this terror: Ukraine needs air defense systems and missiles now-not in depots,” Zelensky said Tuesday. “We need long-range strikes that can actually respond to Russian terror now, not later. Every day of delay unfortunately means further losses.”

Casualties from the strikes continued to mount throughout the day as bodies were pulled from rubble. In the evening, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said at least 51 people were killed and more than 200 injured.

“We need long-range strikes that can actually respond to Russian terror now, not later. Every day of delay unfortunately means further losses.”, President Zelensky.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said the warning time between the air raid alarm and the missile impact was so short, many people were caught trying to reach bomb shelters.

Those close to the military institute described interviews with students and workers, and their friends and family members waiting at hospitals for news in the aftermath of the attack, the mayhem that followed. They said they had heard the air raid sirens go off inside, raced down stairs toward shelters and were struck by the missiles before they could reach safety.

Some survivors never made it in time. A man at a nearby hospital, who wished not to be named, said he was wearing civilian, not military, attire as he prepared for a day of coursework. Having heard news of the incoming missiles, he evacuated into a shelter but later found himself seeking treatment for a bloody wound on his left elbow. Another man, who was describing over the phone to a relative nearby the horrific injuries he had seen-many people were missing limbs-reporters overheard him say something about tourniquets stopping the bleeding.

Outside, police investigators questioned witnesses. “One man recounted that he was walking downstairs when the first missile hit,” Michael reported. “He said he had clawed himself out from under the rubble and escaped down what remained of the staircase.”.

The residents in the residential buildings surrounding the Military Institute of Telecommunications and Information Technology also watched the aftermath of the incident. One 72-year-old man said a former colleague lost his arm in the blast.

“There was very little time between the air raid sirens and the explosion,” said Volodymyr, who gave only his first name because of security concerns. “In some 15 seconds, there was a second missile. Currently, everyone is in shock.

The strike on the Military Institute of Telecommunications and Information Technology came just one day after classes began across Ukraine. While it was not certain who was there at the time of the attack, students were most likely present at the time. It is an institute that trains both young cadets and seasoned military personnel, offering both bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, after which graduates leave with the rank of lieutenant as part of the Ukrainian military.

The strike on the Military Institute of Telecommunications and Information Technology came just one day after classes began across Ukraine.

Usually, there are just students here every morning, studying,” said Serhiy Homenko, who was helping repair a neighbor’s broken window on the second floor. “They are young, 20, 21, and wear normal clothes.”

In much of Ukraine, in-person schooling has been on hold since the Russian invasion in 2022, with officials fearing airstrikes could strike schools or other educational institutions.

At the taekwondo school next to the military institute, two parents, Rostyslav Lypii and Natalia Hetalo, swept up shards of glass from windows shattered in the missile blast. Their kids take classes in the same building too, thankfully not at the time of the strike.

A woman, Olena, who said her son-in-law worked at the institute, described the horrific scene from a nearby hospital. She said he had run to the bomb shelter upon hearing the sirens, but his colleague outside to smoke was thrown off by the force of the explosion. “He went flying, along with his cigarette, the door, and everything that was around them,” she recounted.

Standing in the corridor outside, Olena described the mayhem. “Everyone was running around, covered in blood. I’ve never seen anything like it. Those poor boys, screaming. It’s horrible.”

Philip Pronin, regional leader of Poltava, called it “a terrible day” for the city. Officials declared that the region would observe three days of mourning, starting Wednesday.

He also praised rescuers and medical workers who promptly acted and “saved lots of lives.” Locals have begun donating blood for the injured people, and he called on others to do likewise.

Injured victims poured into all the city’s medical centers, especially the Sklifosovsky Regional Hospital, according to Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne. “Almost all operating rooms and medical teams were busy, including anesthesiologists,” a hospital official, Valentyn Bilyi, said. “We’re seeing burn injuries, explosive injuries, fractures and combined trauma, including shrapnel wounds.”

Injured victims poured into all the city’s medical centers, especially the Sklifosovsky Regional Hospital, according to Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne.

Later that afternoon, a search team led by 28-year-old Oleksandra Karpova arrived at the scene with her rescue dog Mria, which means “Dream.” Trained to find survivors, the black-and-gray dog had recently helped save a person from wreckage in Kharkiv’s Palace of Sports. Now, Mria was on the scene in Poltava, hoping to find more survivors. “We don’t know how long we’ll be here today,” Karpova said. If Mria couldn’t find any survivors, then the special body recovery team would arrive the next day.

Consequently, Latvia’s President Edgars Rinkevics joined Zelensky in his call to remove restrictions hampering Ukraine’s ability to strike inside Russia. “Restrictions imposed on Ukraine to use all weapons against Russia must be lifted,” wrote Rinkevics on X. “This is not about escalation; this is about saving innocent lives.

Meanwhile, far-reaching changes swept through Ukraine’s government, as a number of top officials resigned. Justice Minister Denys Maliuska, Minister of Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin, and Environment Minister Ruslan Strilets submitted their resignations. Kamyshin, who oversees Ukraine’s arms production, said he would stay on in a defense capacity. Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna, who has presided over Ukraine’s bid to join the European Union, also resigned.

A new line-up of officials is expected, prior to the trip of Zelensky to the United States, where he vows to show a “victory plan” over Ukraine.

Before the strike in Poltava, Russia had already unleashed several other attacks against Ukraine. One of these attacks was in the Zaporizhzhia region, killing two people, including an 8-year-old; another missile strike took one life in the city of Dnipro.

There have been increased Russian missile and drone strikes over the past days, against a slew of targets, including Kyiv and critical energy infrastructure. Ukraine has mounted strikes with drones on Russian oil refineries.

With the increased missile and drone attacks, the future of regional atomic facilities-especially the largest in Europe, the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant-becomes increasingly ominous. Rafael Grossi, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, is scheduled to visit the plant this week following an identical trip he made to Russia’s Kursk region.

With the increased missile and drone attacks, the future of regional atomic facilities-especially the largest in Europe, the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant-becomes increasingly ominous.

Speaking from Kyiv after a meeting with Zelensky, Grossi said there was mutual agreement that nuclear plants should never be attacked. Zelensky called on the IAEA to inspect Ukrainian substations connected with nuclear plants, which have been targeted in recent Russian strikes. Grossi confirmed the IAEA would begin that process by next week.

Despite the devastation on that day, emergency workers in Poltava took a short rest before starting again to find survivors in a country which once more finds itself reeling under shock and outrage due to Russian aggression.