By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Ukraine was grieving late Tuesday as the extent of one of Russia’s deadliest attacks of the war became clear, with scores of people killed in a massive Russian missile strike.
Officials said at least 51 people were killed and about 200 others injured after a Russian missile strike in the central city of Poltava, with many still unaccounted for.
Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelenskyy told his nation that preliminary information showed two ballistic missiles had “partially destroyed” one of the buildings of the Poltava Military Institute of Communications, leaving people under the rubble.
Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, called it “a stunning tragedy for all of Ukraine” in a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
“The enemy hit an educational institution and a hospital,” she wrote.
Ukraine’s land forces confirmed that service personnel were killed in the strike and said an investigation was underway to establish whether enough was done to protect those in the facility. It said measures would be taken to prevent a recurrence.
With the investigation underway, four Ukrainian cabinet ministers resigned ahead of an expected government reshuffle.
DEPUTY MINISTER
The deputy prime minister for European affairs, Olga Stefanishyna; the minister of strategic industries, Oleksandr Kamyshin (who has played a prominent role in boosting arms production); the minister of justice, Denys Maliuska; and the minister of the environment, Ruslan Strilets, all submitted their resignations
The U.S. National Security Council spokesperson, John Kirby, condemned Tuesday’s attack as “another horrific reminder of Putin’s brutality towards the people in Ukraine.”
The White House vowed to send more aid to Ukraine in the coming weeks.
Yet that did little to ease the pain in Poltava, where three days of mourning were about to begin. Filip Pronin, Head of Poltava Oblast Military Administration, called it “A huge tragedy for Poltava Oblast and the whole country. My sincere condolences to their families and friends.”
He added that the mourning period is in “Loving memory to all the people killed. The enemy must be held accountable for all their crimes against humanity.”
Russia has denied deliberately targeting civilians despite mounting evidence suggesting otherwise, and Moscow says it targets strategic and military sites in wartorn Ukraine.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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