At least 49 dead in Poltava, Ukraine, in one of the worst attacks to date

Kiev, September 3 (dpa/GNA) – At least 49 people were killed and at least 219 injured in the central Ukrainian city of Poltava in one of the most devastating Russian air strikes on the country in the more than two-year-long war, officials said.

Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Dmytro Lasutkin confirmed the latest casualty figures on Ukrainian television on Tuesday evening.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said two ballistic missiles had attacked “an educational institution and a nearby hospital” in Poltova, which is about 280 kilometers east of Kyiv and about 110 kilometers from the Russian border.

The attack severely damaged a building belonging to the telecommunications institute, the president said.

“We continue to call on all people in the world who have the power to stop this terror: Ukraine needs air defense systems and missiles now, and not in storage,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.

Pictures circulated on social media showing bodies in front of a badly damaged multi-storey building believed to be the Military Institute of Telecommunications of the Kyiv Polytechnic in Poltava.

According to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, at least 25 people were rescued from the rubble.

In the neighboring residential area, windows were destroyed and facades were damaged by the pressure wave.

Ukraine has been defending itself against a large-scale invasion by Russia for more than two years, relying heavily on weapons and air defense systems from Western partners.

Zelenskyy has called on his allies almost daily to increase their arms supplies so that Ukraine can better protect its cities from Russian airstrikes. He also called for longer-range weapons to be able to attack targets deep inside Russian territory.

“Terrible day” for Poltava

According to authorities, the attack reached the city at around 9:10 a.m. (06:10 GMT).

Very little time is said to have passed between the air raid warning and the impact of the missiles.

“Poltava is experiencing a terrible day,” said the Ukrainian Defense Minister. “The Russian aggressor has dealt a barbaric blow to one of the city's educational institutions.”

According to authorities, many people in the city were willing to donate blood after the attack.

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 enemy's insidious attack claimed the lives of 41 people. More than 180 people were injured. Sincere condolences to relatives and friends,” Pronin wrote in the telegram.

An eight-year-old boy was reportedly killed in an attack on Zaporizhzhya

Earlier on Tuesday, Ukrainian authorities reported that Russian air and artillery strikes had killed civilians and injured others in other parts of Ukraine.

In the city of Zaporizhia, grenades hit the city on Monday evening after a visit by Zelensky, killing two people.

One victim was an 8-year-old boy, wrote the region's governor, Ivan Fedorov, on Telegram. A building was damaged. Zelensky met with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof on Monday at the front line near Zaporizhia.

In the city of Dnipro, one man was killed and six others injured by rocket fire, according to the local administration. A power substation in the region was reportedly hit.

Since Monday, Russian glide bombs and artillery shells have hit numerous locations in the northeastern region of Sumy. Three people were injured.

Supplies for Ukrainian troops during their offensive in the Russian Kursk region are coming via the Sumy region on the border with Russia.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that 27 of 35 Russian combat drones of Iranian design were shot down overnight.

GNA