On September 3, Russian missiles hit a military academy in Poltava, just minutes after an airstrike was declared, killing more than 50 people and injuring many more. The attack was one of the deadliest of the war, underscoring Russia’s firepower. The hospital was also damaged, as reported by President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, writes The New York Times.
The rescuers described the terrible scenes when they pulled the bodies out from under the wreckage of the Poltava Institute of Military Communications. Glass and debris were scattered throughout the area, and windows and doors were broken in nearby high-rise buildings. More than 200 people were injured, and local hospitals were overwhelmed. The strike dealt a serious blow to the country’s morale, as Ukrainian forces continued to contain Russian offensive operations in Donbas.
26-year-old Denys Klyap, a volunteer from the “Free and Unbreakable” response group, spoke about the terrible consequences of the attack.
“We saw bodies scattered all over the area, many of which were without limbs or even heads”, he shared.
The attack was part of a wave of Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities that began a week ago and was one of the largest since the Russian invasion began in February 2022. According to President Zelenskyi, the strike was carried out by ballistic missiles capable of reaching targets at supersonic speed in a matter of minutes.
