Kiev, Sept 3, (dpa/GNA) – At least 49 people have been killed and at least 219 injured, in the central Ukrainian city of Poltava, in what was one of the deadliest Russian airstrikes on the country, in more than two years of war, officials said.
The spokesman for the Ukrainian Defence Ministry, Dmytro Lasutkin, confirmed the latest casualty figures on Ukrainian television Tuesday evening.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said two ballistic missiles, targeted “an educational institution and a nearby hospital” in Poltova, about 280 kilometres east of Kiev and some 110 kilometres from the Russian border.
A building of the telecommunications institute was severely damaged in the attack, according to the president.
“We continue to urge everyone in the world who has the power to stop this terror: Ukraine needs air defense systems and missiles now, not sitting in storage,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
Images circulating on social media showed bodies lying in front of a severely damaged multi-storey building, said to be the military institute for telecommunications of the Kiev Polytechnic in Poltava.
According to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, at least 25 people were rescued from the rubble.
In the neighbouring residential area, windows were destroyed and facades damaged by the blast wave.
Ukraine has been fending off a full-scale Russian invasion for more than two years, relying heavily on weapons and air defence systems supplied by Western partners.
Zelensky has been calling on his allies almost every day to ramp up deliveries to allow Ukraine to better protect Ukrainian cities against Russian airstrikes. He has also been demanding longer-range weapons to be able to strike targets deep into Russian territory.
‘Horrible day’ for Poltava
Authorities said the strike hit the city at around 9:10 am (0610 GMT).
Very little time reportedly passed between the air raid alert and the impact of the missiles.
“Poltava is having a horrible day,” the Ukrainian Defence Minister said. “The Russian aggressor has dealt a barbaric blow to one of the city’s educational institutions.”
Many people in the city came forward to donate blood following the attack, according to the authorities.
Governor Filip Pronin declared three days of mourning for the entire Poltava region.
“A great tragedy for the Poltava region and the whole country. The insidious strike of the enemy cost 41 people their lives. More than 180 people were wounded. Sincere condolences to relatives and friends,” Pronin wrote Telegram.
An eight year-old was reportedly killed, in attack on Zaporizhzhya
Earlier on Tuesday, Ukrainian authorities reported civilians had been killed and others injured by Russian air and artillery attacks elsewhere in Ukraine.
In the city of Zaporizhzhya, shells struck after a visit by Zelensky on Monday evening, killing two people.
One victim was an 8-year-old boy, regional governor Ivan Fedorov wrote on Telegram. One building was damaged. Zelensky met with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof on the frontline near Zaporizhzhya on Monday.
In the city of Dnipro, one man was killed and six people injured by rocket fire, according to the local administration. Reports said a transformer station was hit in the region.
In the north-eastern Sumy region, Russian glide bombs and artillery shells have hit numerous locations since Monday. Three people were injured.
Supplies for Ukrainian troops during their offensive in the Russian region of Kursk, pass through the Sumy region on the border with Russia.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that 27 of 35 Russian combat drones of Iranian design, had been shot down overnight.
GNA