(Bloomberg) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy reinforced a call for air-defense systems after Russian missiles killed more than 50 people in one of the deadliest strikes since the Kremlin’s invasion began in February 2022.
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Fifty-one people died and more than 200 were injured in the attack in Poltava early Tuesday, Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General said in a statement after two Russian ballistic missiles hit a military educational facility and a neighboring hospital in the central Ukrainian city.
The strike partially destroyed the building of the communications institute, with many people trapped in the debris, Zelenskiy said Tuesday in a post on Telegram.
Russia has stepped up aerial assaults against Ukraine, last week unleashing the largest barrage since the war started with more than 100 missiles launched against energy infrastructure across the country. That attack came after Kyiv made an incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, which prompted tens of thousands of residents to flee their homes.
“We continue to urge everyone in the world who has the power to stop this terror: Ukraine needs air-defense systems and missiles now, not sitting in storage,” Zelenskiy said. “Long-range strikes that can protect us from Russian terror are needed now, not later. Every day of delay, unfortunately, means more lost lives.”
Major General Pat Ryder, the Defense Department spokesman, told reporters at the Pentagon Tuesday that the US has no announcement to make regarding any change in policy on long-range strike capabilities. The Biden administration has held back those types of weapons or imposed limits on their use amid concern that attacks deep into Russia could escalate the war.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will meet with Ukraine’s allies in Ramstein, Germany on Friday to discuss continued support for Ukraine, Ryder said.
The strike against Poltava, which lies more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) to the southeast of Kyiv, highlights the dangers from ballistic missiles, which are difficult to intercept due to their high speed and steep trajectory. The time between the air raid alarm and the missile strike was too short to issue a warning for people to take cover in the bomb shelter, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said on Telegram.
The attack took place during classes, as explosions followed air raid alarms within minutes as cadets were taking shelter, military spokesman Dmytro Lazutkin said on local television. He said no public gathering or ceremony had been taking place at the site of the attack, pushing back on social media speculation.
Zelenskiy called for a prompt investigation into the circumstances of the strike. Poltava Governor Filip Pronin announced a three-day period of mourning in the region, according to a post on his Telegram channel.
–With assistance from Patrick Donahue and Natalia Drozdiak.
(Updates with Pentagon comment starting in sixth paragraph)
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