At least 51 individuals lost their lives, and over 200 were injured following a missile strike by Russian forces on Poltava, located in central Ukraine. The attack targeted a military communications institute and inadvertently struck a nearby hospital. Ukrainian land forces acknowledged the loss of military personnel in this incident.
According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence, the brevity between the air raid alert and the impact left civilians with insufficient time to reach safety in bomb shelters. In response, President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the attackers as “Russian scum” and vowed retribution, emphasizing the need for enhanced air defense capabilities.
He advocated for the ability to conduct retaliatory long-range missile strikes as a means of self-defense. As of now, there has been no official statement from Moscow regarding the strike.
Classes were underway at the Poltava Military Communications Institute when the missiles struck, according to a subsequent statement from Ukraine’s defense ministry. Initial reports from Russian military sources had indicated that a military parade was taking place at the institute, but the ministry clarified that no such event was occurring at the time of the attack. Air raid sirens went off at 09:08 (07:08 BST), prompting everyone to move towards the shelters, with the explosions following shortly thereafter.
Goncharenko further expressed the emotional toll, saying, “Living like this, with constant alerts and the fear of missiles, is unsustainable. It’s simply not fair.” This reflects the daily reality for many in Ukraine, living under the threat of sudden attacks.
Following the attack, Ukraine’s land forces announced via Telegram that an investigation would assess the adequacy of protective measures at the struck military facility, with plans to enhance safety protocols.
Locals like Olena Serdyuk described the chaos, “The alert barely gave us a minute before the explosions. We rushed into the bathroom with my child, but there’s no shelter nearby. Running somewhere safe in time is impossible.” Her account paints a picture of the immediate, frantic response required from residents.
Anastasiia Artyukh shared her terrifying experience, “Two massive explosions, and all we could do was sit and wait because our building doesn’t have a basement.” This highlights the lack of infrastructure for civilian safety in some areas.
Poltava’s governor, Philip Pronin, labeled the attack as “cunning and cynical,” indicating not just the physical but also the psychological warfare tactics employed. He confirmed ongoing rescue operations with several still trapped, and damage to residential structures, though full details were withheld for security.
First Lady Olena Zelenska’s post on X captured the national sentiment, calling the strike “a stunning tragedy” and lamenting the loss of life, which she described as Russia stripping Ukraine of its most precious asset.
This narrative, woven from the statements and sentiments of those directly affected, paints a vivid picture of the ongoing conflict’s human cost and the inadequacy of current defense measures against such sudden, devastating attacks.