Death toll of Russia’s attack on Poltava rises to 53 as rescue operations continue

The death toll of a Russian attack against Poltava on Sept. 3 has risen to 53 as another body was found in the rubble, the State Emergency Service reported on Sept. 4. Some 298 people were reportedly injured.

Russia launched two ballistic missiles against the city yesterday, hitting the Military Institute of Communications and a neighboring medical facility. The educational institution building was partially destroyed.

"The rescuers worked all night, organized into shifts," State Emergency Service spokesperson Oleksandr Khoruzhnyi said on air on national television.

According to the State Emergency Service, 25 people have been rescued, of whom 11 had been trapped underneath the rubble. Five more people may remain trapped as of 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 4.

There were no ceremonies or other events near the military institute at the time of the Russian attack, Dmytro Lazutkin, Defense Ministry spokesperson, said on national television, refuting such unofficial claims.

Death toll of Russia's attack on Poltava rises to 53 as rescue operations continue — Rostyslav Lypii, 30, and Natalia Hetalo, 32, clean up the glass from broken windows at the taekwondo school that their children attend in Poltava, Ukraine, on Sep. 3, 2024. The school is located in a residential building near the Military Institute of Telecommunications and Information Technology, which was struck by Russian missiles. Children were not in class when the strike happened. (Oksana Parafeniuk for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

According to the Defense Ministry, students were studying and then followed to the shelter after an air raid alert went off, Lazutkin added.

"Yesterday's tragedy in Poltava is a crime against humanity," Poltava Oblast Governor Filip Pronin said. "The enemy continues to terrorize Ukrainian cities."

"Tragedy in Poltava is a crime against humanity"

President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had instructed an operational investigation into the circumstances of the attack on Poltava. Ukraine's Ground Forces is conducting an investigation to determine "whether enough was done to protect the lives and health of the soldiers at the facility," the military said.

Poltava is a city of around 300,000, located in Poltava Oblast in central Ukraine. It is situated around 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the border with Russia, and 230 kilometers (143 miles) from the eastern front.

The city and surrounding region are regular targets of Russian drone and missile attacks.