On September 3, the Russian army struck the territory of the Poltava Military Institute of Communications and the adjacent hospital with two ballistic missiles. As of September 5, the number of dead has increased to 54. 297 people have been injured.
This was reported by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES).
Search and rescue operations are ongoing, taking into account the safety component. Five more people may be under the rubble.
Rescuers have already dismantled and removed 1 760 tons of construction debris.
Due to the Russian attack, the six-story building of the educational building was partially destroyed, three apartment buildings, five private houses and an office building were damaged.
Strike on Poltava
Around 9 a.m. on September 3, the Air Force reported missiles in the direction of Poltava. Local telegram channels wrote about the explosions in the city, the authorities did not inform about the fact of shelling and its consequences for several hours. At 10:39 a.m., the Department of Social Protection of the Population of the Poltava Regional State Administration called on all those willing to urgently become blood donors.
At 11:37 a.m., the MP Maryana Bezuhla hinted that the Russians hit the line-up at the Institute of Communications, announcing a "repetition of the tragedy of the 128th brigade" — in November 2023, Russian troops hit the brigadeʼs soldiers during line-up. Russian propagandists and "militaries" wrote from the morning about the attack on the military school in Poltava during the line-up and published photos with the bodies of the dead.
In the evening, the Ministry of Defense stated that there was no line-up or any other measures during the attack — the students of the Institute began to go down to the shelter immediately after the air raid alert was announced, but the explosions rang out within a few minutes.