KYIV: At least 51 people were killed and hundreds injured in a Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Poltava on Tuesday, authorities said, in one of the single deadliest strikes of the two-and-a-half-year war.

Kyiv said the strike hit a military education facility and a nearby hospital, but authorities did not say how many of the victims were military or civilians. Ukrainian Presi­dent Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to hold what he called “Russian scum” accountable, while rescuers worked to clear the rubble.

“As of 6pm , 51 people were killed and over 200 wounded in the attack,” the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general said.

The strike triggered anger on Ukrainian social media after unconfirmed reports said it had targeted an outdoor military ceremony, with many blaming reckless behaviour from officials who allowed the event to take place despite the threat of Russian attacks. Zelensky said he had ordered a “full and prompt investigation into all the circumstances”. Two Russian ballistic missiles hit the hospital and educational institution, partially destroying one of the buildings, Zelensky said.

Kyiv says communications center destroyed in the attack

The strike took place in the morning in Poltava, a city with a pre-war population of around 300,000 people, some 300 kilometres east of Kyiv. “The window blew open. Dust was everywhere. I just had time to tell my sister that a rocket was flying,” said Yevgeniya Chyrva, a local resident from a building damaged during the attack.

The defence ministry said that the time between the alarm and the arrival of the missiles was “so short that it caught people in the middle of evacuating to the bomb shelter”.

The Poltava military communications institute, founded in the 1960s when Ukraine was part of the USSR, specialises in training telecommunications specialists. “One of the institute’s buildings was partially destroyed, and many people were trapped under the rubble,” the defence ministry said.

An eyewitness on the scene saw several ambulances heading towards the affected site shortly after the attack on the military institute. Rescuers were still at work after having managed to save 25 people, including 11 trapped under the rubble, the defence ministry said.

‘More pain’

Official channels and local media shared messages urging locals to donate blood to help treat the wounded. At the same time criticism of Ukrainian officials swirled online.

“Poltava... How can such a large number of people gather at such a facility?” said blogger Sergey Naumovich. There had been some reports from Russian military bloggers that the strike targeted an outdoor ceremony.

Poltava Governor Philip Pronin said his administration could not provide more details of the circumstances of the strike “for security reasons”. “The enemy is using any means to bring Ukraine more pain and disorientate Ukrainians. Plea­se trust only reliable sources,” he said.

Ukrainian MP Maria Bezugla — who regularly criticises the country’s military leadership — accused high-ranking officials of endangering soldiers by allowing such events.

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2024