Russian missiles blast Ukrainian military academy and hospital, killing more than 50, officials say (2024)

POLTAVA, Ukraine — Two ballistic missiles blasted a military academy and nearby hospital Tuesday in Ukraine, killing more than 50 people and wounding more than 200 others, Ukrainian officials said, in one of the deadliest Russian strikes since the war began.

The missiles tore into the heart of the Poltava Military Institute of Communication's main building, causing several stories to collapse. It didn't take long for the smell of smoke and word of the deadly strike to spread through the central-eastern town.

"People found themselves under the rubble. Many were saved," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video posted on his Telegram channel. He ordered an investigation.

Shattered bricks were visible inside the closed gates of the institution, which was off-limits to the media, and small pools of blood could be seen just outside hours later. Field communications trucks were parked along the perimeter. Roads were covered in glass from shattered apartment windows.

"I heard explosions… I was at home at that time. When I left the house, I realized that it was something evil and something bad," said Yevheniy Zemskyy, who arrived to volunteer his help. "I was worried about the children, the residents of Poltava. That's why we are here today to help our city in any way we can."

By Tuesday evening, the death toll stood at 51, according to the general prosecutor's office.

Filip Pronin, governor of the region that bears Poltava's name, announced on Telegram that 219 people were wounded. Up to 18 people may be buried under the rubble, he said.

Ten apartment buildings were damaged, and more than 150 people donated blood, Pronin said.

He called it "a great tragedy" for the region and all of Ukraine, and announced three days of mourning starting Wednesday.

Rescue crews and medics saved 25 people, including 11 who were dug out of the rubble, Ukraine's Defense Ministry statement said.

The academy trains officers in communications and electronics, as well as drone operators, honing some of the most valued skills in a war where both sides are fighting for control of the electronic battlefield.

"The enemy certainly must answer for all (its) crimes against humanity," Pronin wrote on social media.

Cost of war

The Kremlin offered no immediate comment on the strike. It was not clear whether the dead and wounded were limited to Ukrainian military personnel, such as signal corps cadets, or if they included civilians.

Since it embarked on its full-scale invasion in early 2022, the Russian military has repeatedly used missiles to smash civilian targets, sometimes killing scores of people in a single attack.

Some of the deadliest such assaults included a 2022 airstrike on a theater in Mariupol that killed hundreds of civilians sheltering in the basem*nt and a strike that same year on the train station in Kramatorsk that killed 61. Apartment buildings, markets and shopping centers have also been targeted.

Poltava is about 200 miles southeast of Kyiv, on the main highway and rail route between Kyiv and Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, which is close to the Russian border.

Zelenskyy repeated his appeal for Ukraine's Western partners to ensure swift delivery of military aid. He has previously chided the U.S. and European countries for being slow to make good on their pledges of help.

He also wants them to ease restrictions on what Ukraine can target on Russian soil with the weapons they provide. Some countries fear that hitting Russia could escalate the war.

"Ukraine needs air defense systems and missiles now, not sitting in storage," Zelenskyy wrote on social media.

"Long-range strikes that can protect us from Russian terror are needed now, not later. Every day of delay, unfortunately, means more lost lives," he said.

Nuclear danger

Meanwhile, the head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog described the situation at Europe's largest nuclear power plant as “very fragile” Tuesday following fresh attacks near the site in central Ukraine, and vowed to expand the agency's inspections to include critical electricity supplies.

Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, was on his 10th visit to Ukraine since the war began in February 2022.

He headed to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant after talks in Kyiv with Zelenskyy and top energy officials.

“I think the situation— I have very often characterized it— as very fragile,” Grossi told reporters in the Ukrainian capital. “The station is again on the verge of being on a blackout. We've had eight of those in the past. A blackout (means) no power: no power, no cooling. No cooling, then maybe you have a disaster.”

Earlier, Grossi posted on social media he was on his way to Zaporizhzhia to “help prevent a nuclear accident.”

The Zaporizhzhia plant, which came under Russian control in the wake of its full-scale invasion, saw artillery shelling in the area on Monday that damaged the facility’s power access, according to its operator Energoatom, which blamed Russia for the attacks.