Ukraine: Death toll from Russian strike on Poltava rises to 58

Three people, who were injured in the Russian strike on the city of Poltava in central Ukraine last week have succumbed to their injuries, bringing the death toll to 58, announced regional authorities.

“Unfortunately, three more people injured in the Russian attack on Poltava on September 3 have died in hospital. The death toll is now 58,” Poltava region governor Filip Pronin said in a Telegram message.

Russia has claimed that the attack on Poltava, one of the deadliest in recent months, targeted a “training center” of the Ukrainian army and that the strike “destroyed” its “targets.”

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Ukrainian rescuers in the rubble of the Poltava military communications institute, two days after a Russian missile strike, September 5, 2024 in Ukraine © Press service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Emergencies – Handout

The Ukrainian authorities have not specified the distribution of military and civilian casualties among the victims. More than 300 people were also injured.

The Russian strike sparked widespread condemnation among Kiev's allies, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated calls for the West to provide his country with more air defense systems.

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