Deadly Russian missile strike kills at least 50, wounds over 200 in Poltava, Ukraine

Russia launched two ballistic missiles into the city of Poltava in Ukraine’s central-eastern region on Tuesday. The strike hit a military training facility and hospital, killing at least 50 and wounding over 200.
According to CBS News, the strike is counted among Russia’s deadliest in Ukraine since the start of the war in 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy addressed the attack on Telegram, saying, “They targeted an educational institution and a nearby hospital, partially destroying one of the telecommunications institute’s buildings.”
“People were trapped under the rubble,” he continued. “Many people were rescued.”
Poltava region military administration leader Filip Pronin said that 18 more people may be trapped underneath the rubble awaiting rescue, per CNN.
The missiles came faster than people could all make it into bomb shelters, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told CNN. Air raid sirens had only begun sounding shortly before.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry called the attack “barbaric,” per CBS News.
Kuleba added that, “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.”
These are systems Ukraine has received from the United States and Germany, though they argue the supply hasn’t been enough to allow the country to defend itself properly.
Zelenskyy asked world leaders for help in his address, saying, “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.”
He also expressed the need for long-range missiles for protection against Russia, adding that the delay in receiving help means more lives will be lost every day.
In his Telegram post, Zelenskyy indicated the initiation of a “full and prompt investigation” into the attack and thanked “everyone who has been helping and saving lives from the very first moments following the strike.”
Russia’s forces continue to attack Ukraine in various regions at the same time as Ukraine’s continual push into Russia’s Kursk region, which began in early August. According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia has continued sending air strikes aimed at Kyiv, just as students are returning to school, CBS News reports.
As the war rages on, Zelenskyy continues to push for permission to attack Russia on its own territory as its ability thus far to do so has been limited. Certain countries, like the U.S., that have provided weapons for Ukraine have also put limits on how they can be used. To gain more figurative ground and protect his people during the war, Zelenskyy pleads for looser restrictions.