A Russian strike against a military educational facility in central Ukraine killed 41 people and injured over 180 others, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, in one of the deadliest single attacks since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Zelensky said preliminary information indicated two ballistic missiles hit the facility in the city of Poltava and a nearby hospital on Tuesday morning.
“We say again and again to everyone in the world who has the power to stop this terror: air defense systems and missiles are needed in Ukraine, not somewhere in a warehouse,” Zelensky said in a statement.
Speaking about the attack, Zelensky repeated his call on Ukraine’s Western allies to supply Kyiv with more air defenses and lift restrictions on his country’s military using their weapons to strike inside Russia.
“Long-range strikes that can protect against Russian terror are needed now, not later. Every day of delay is, unfortunately, the death of people,” he added.
Speaking to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in Kyiv, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the missile reached the target in a very short period of time. People were struck down as they were trying to get into the bomb shelter, officials said.
“The only way to intercept them was to have the Patriot system or a SAMP/T air defense system because they are the only one capable of intercepting ballistic missiles,” said Kuleba, who added that he originally came from the Poltava region.
Ukraine has received a handful of Patriot air defense systems from the United States and Germany, although Kyiv has consistently said the number was insufficient to allow it to effectively defend itself.
The Biden administration said in June it was prioritizing critical air defense capabilities for Ukraine over other countries to “ensure Ukraine’s survival.” But Kuleba made it clear on Tuesday that new weapons cannot come soon enough.
“I don’t know how many more tragedies like this have to occur for all promises to be fulfilled and for all new commitments to be made,” Kuleba added, reiterating Zelensky’s calls for more defense systems to be sent to Ukraine.
Three days of mourning
Local authorities said Tuesday was a “terrible day for Poltava” and declared three days of mourning. No more details would be released about the strike due to “security issues,” they said.
Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said in a statement that emergency services have already contained a fire on the scene and pulled more than 10 people out of the rubble. They are now clearing the debris, he added.
Klymenko said the strike damaged a number of buildings in the area. Windows were smashed and the facades of high-rise residential blocks were impacted by shock waves from the attack, he said.
Moscow has not commented on the attack, but a well-known Russian military blogger Vladimir Rogov reported earlier on Tuesday that Russia struck a military school in Poltava.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
