Russian Iskander ballistic missiles have struck a training center in the Ukrainian city of Poltava, according to the government in Kiev, which has estimated the death toll at 50.
The School of Military Communications and Information Technology on the north side of Poltava was home to the 179th Training Center of Ukrainian signalmen, including radar and strike drone operators. It was destroyed by two missiles on Tuesday morning, local authorities have said.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has put the number of deaths at 49, with 219 injured. Rescue crews managed to save 25 people, of which 11 were pulled from the rubble, according to the military.
Poltava Governor Filip Pronin later updated the casualty toll to 50 dead, more than 235 wounded and 15 missing.
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky used the occasion to demand more air defense systems and missiles, as well as permission from his Western backers to launch “long-range strikes” into Russia.
“This is a stunning tragedy for all of Ukraine,” Zelensky’s wife Elena wrote on X, accusing Russia of striking “an educational institution and a hospital,” even though no hospitals are nearby.
According to local media in Poltava, area hospitals are overwhelmed with wounded. Social media posts soliciting blood donations spoke of “190 dead defenders” and many more at risk from their injuries.
Igor Mosiychuk, a former MP and deputy commander of the notorious neo-Nazi Azov regiment, claimed that the attack may have resulted in up to 600 casualties. While blaming Russia for the strike, he also said the military command bears some responsibility for allowing so many high-value soldiers to be in one place without shelter.
The Russian Defense Ministry has not yet commented on the strike. In the absence of official information, rumors circulating on Russian social media have alleged the presence of NATO instructors at the school, including some from Sweden.
Poltava is the site of the 1709 battle in which the Russian Army under Peter the Great decisively defeated Swedish invaders under King Charles XII. The Swedes were aided by Cossacks of Ivan Mazepa, who is revered as a hero in modern Ukraine but has long been considered a traitor in Russia.