A Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Poltava has left at least 51 people dead and hundreds injured, marking one of the deadliest attacks in the two-and-a-half-year conflict, according to Ukrainian authorities.
The strike targeted a military training facility and a nearby hospital, though officials did not specify how many of the victims were military personnel or civilians. US President Joe Biden condemned the attack, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to hold the perpetrators accountable.
“According to the information available now, this Russian strike killed 51 people,” Zelensky said in his evening address. “The number of injured is 271. We know that there are people under the rubble of the destroyed building. Everything is being done to save as many lives as possible,” he added.
International leaders, including Biden, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, denounced the attack. Biden pledged continued military aid to Ukraine, including air defense systems, while Baerbock criticized the brutality of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The missile strike occurred in the morning in Poltava, a city of around 300,000 people located 300 kilometres east of Kyiv. The defence ministry reported that two Russian ballistic missiles hit the hospital and a nearby educational institution, partially destroying one of the buildings. The short warning time between the missile alarm and the impact caught many people in the process of evacuating to bomb shelters.
Rescue operations are still ongoing, with 25 people, including 11 trapped under the rubble, saved so far. An AFP journalist on the scene reported multiple ambulances rushing to the site.
Poltava’s governor, Philip Pronin, stated that additional details about the strike could not be disclosed for security reasons. Ukrainian MP Maria Bezugla criticized military leadership, accusing officials of endangering soldiers by allowing risky events to proceed despite the threat of Russian attacks.
The strike coincided with a significant government reshuffle in Ukraine, with six top officials resigning, including the Ministers of Strategic Industries, Justice, and Environmental Protection. Zelensky has ordered several reshuffles during the war, including the recent replacement of his defence minister and top military commander following battlefield setbacks.
The reshuffles follow another recent controversy in Ukraine’s military command after a US-made F-16 fighter jet crashed during combat, killing the pilot. This incident led to the dismissal of the air force chief, Mykola Oleshchuk, and added to the growing concerns over Ukraine’s military leadership.