Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced on Tuesday that a Russian attack on a military educational institute in Poltava, central Ukraine, resulted in the deaths of at least 47 people and left more than 206 injured. The Ukrainian president, in a video address, stated that preliminary information suggested the attack was carried out using two ballistic missiles.
“One of the buildings of the [Poltava Military] Institute of Communications was partially destroyed. People found themselves under the rubble. Many were saved,” Zelenskiy said in a video posted on his Telegram channel. He added that a hospital was also struck in the attack, and rescue operations were underway, with all necessary services involved.
The strike has sparked outrage on Ukrainian social media, with unconfirmed reports suggesting it targeted an outdoor military ceremony or roll call. Many are blaming reckless behavior by officials who allowed the event to take place despite the ongoing threat of Russian attacks.
Zelenskiy held Russia accountable for the strike but has also ordered a “full prompt investigation into all the circumstances of what happened.” Poltava’s governor, Philip Pronin, stated that his administration could not provide more details about the circumstances of the strike “for security reasons.” He urged citizens to trust only reliable sources, noting that “the enemy is using any means to bring Ukraine more pain and disorientate Ukrainians.”
Maria Bezugla, an MP known for her frequent criticism of the country’s military leadership, accused high-ranking officials of endangering soldiers by allowing such events. “These tragedies keep repeating themselves. When will it stop?” she wrote on Telegram.
The attack occurred in the middle of the day and, if the death toll is confirmed, would be one of the deadliest single strikes of the war to date. Poltava, located about 200 miles (300km) southeast of Kyiv, is far from the frontlines.
Photos posted on Ukrainian social media show several bodies covered in dust and debris. Significant damage can be seen on two nearby multistorey buildings, with at least five floors struck in one where the outer wall had been blown out.
Ukraine’s defense ministry stated that the “time between the air raid siren and the incoming deadly missile was so short that it caught people at the moment they were evacuating to the shelter.” Rescue crews and medics reportedly saved 25 people at the scene, including 11 who were dug out from the rubble.
While the identities of the victims have not been disclosed, Serhiy Beskrestnov, a prominent Ukrainian Telegram blogger, paid tribute to “my signals operator comrades,” indicating that many of the victims might have been military personnel.
Russian Telegram channels described the site of the hit as a military training facility. A military communications college is located in Poltava, though it remains unclear how many of the victims were military or civilians.
Russia has repeatedly targeted civilian areas throughout the two and a half years of full-scale war and has intensified its air assault on Ukraine in recent weeks. On Monday, Russian forces launched a large missile and drone attack on Kyiv, most of which was intercepted by Ukrainian air defense. That night, two people, including an eight-year-old boy, were killed in Zaporizhzhia, according to the regional governor.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has ramped up its own attacks on Russian territory, using over 158 drones at the weekend to target sites like an oil refinery near Moscow and a power station. Last week, Ukraine experienced the heaviest bombardment of the war so far.
Zelenskiy renewed his calls for more Western air defense systems and urged allies to allow long-range weapons to be used against Russian targets to protect Ukraine. “We keep telling everyone in the world who has the power to stop this terror: air defense systems and missiles are needed in Ukraine, not in a warehouse somewhere,” Zelenskiy said. “Long-range strikes that can protect us from Russian terror are needed now, not some time later. Unfortunately, every day of delay means loss of life.”
The deadly strikes on Ukraine came as Vladimir Putin received a red-carpet welcome in Mongolia on Tuesday, as the country ignored calls to arrest him on an international warrant for alleged war crimes stemming from Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The visit marks the Russian president’s first trip to a member nation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) since it issued the warrant in March 2023. Ahead of the visit, Ukraine urged Mongolia to hand Putin over to the court in The Hague, and the EU expressed concern that Mongolia might not execute the warrant.
The ICC has accused Putin of responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine. While member countries are required to detain suspects if a warrant has been issued, Mongolia’s need to maintain ties with Russia and the court’s lack of enforcement mechanisms complicate the situation.
Putin was greeted in Ulaanbaatar’s main square by an honor guard dressed in vivid red and blue uniforms reminiscent of those worn by the personal guard of Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire, in the 13th century.