220 people remain hospitalized after Russian attack on Poltava, Zelensky says
Two hundred and twenty people remain hospitalized following the Russian attack on Poltava on Sept. 3, with some in critical condition, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address.
"Unfortunately, the beginning of September was marked by brutal Russian strikes. Only after the attack on the Poltava Military Communications Institute, 220 wounded are still being treated in the hospital," Zelensky said.
Russia launched two ballistic missiles at the city, striking the Military Communications Institute and a nearby medical facility. The institute's building was partially destroyed in the attack.
The death toll of the attack rose to 58 earlier in the day after Poltava Oblast Governor Filip Pronin reported that three victims had died in the hospital.
Search and rescue operations at the site of the Russian missile attack on the city concluded on Sept. 5. The number of people killed at that time was 55, while other 328 were injured.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with NBC News that the missiles flew only three minutes before hitting the buildings, giving people little time to hide in the shelter.
Russian attacks have increasingly targeted educational facilities as the school year began in Ukraine, hitting a number of them in Sumy, Lviv, and Kryvyi Rih overnight on Sept. 4.
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.
Dinara Khalilova
