SICK STRIKE
Russian strike kills 51 & injures 271 in blitz on Ukraine military academy & hospital as people fled to bomb shelters
The back-to-back strikes left no time for Ukrainian officials to alert and save civilians
AT LEAST 51 people have been killed by two Russian ballistic missile strikes on a military academy and a hospital inside Ukraine.
Some 271 people were injured in what has been described as one of the deadliest attacks since the start of the war.
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Russian Islander missiles scored a direct hit on a parade ground and canteen as electronic warfare trainees gathered in Poltava in northeastern Ukraine.
Dozens of military recruits scrambled for cover after being alerted by sirens but were blown up in the blast before they could reach for safety.
The attack was aimed at cadets from specialist military unit A3990 at the Institute of Communications but also damaged a nearby hospital.
Many people are now trapped under the rubble after buildings collapsed in the horror strike.
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Emergency responders are now working and have already rescued 25 people, 11 of whom were retrieved from the rubble.
They were met with a scene of horror with body parts strewn across the parade ground and bloodied survivors screaming under the smouldering debris.
Furious Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to punish the "Russian scum" responsible as Moscow sources gloated that the death toll could spiral.
His wife Olena wrote on Twitter: "My deepest condolences to the relatives of those killed and injured as a result of the Russian rocket attack on Poltava.
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"This is a tragedy for all of Ukraine... it is already known about 47 dead and 206 wounded.
"Russia is taking away the most valuable thing from us - life. We will never forget this. Eternal memory."
The Prosecutor General's Office later confirmed on Telegram that 51 people have been confirmed dead as of 6pm Tuesday evening.
They added: "Urgent investigative actions are ongoing."
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Ukrainian officials were left scrambling after the back-to-back incoming strikes left no time to alert and save civilians.
Ukraine's defence ministry has called the attack "barbaric", saying the city of Poltava is experiencing a "terrible day".
Zelensky said that "all necessary steps" are being taken in the rescue operation and an investigation will be launched into the strike.
He once again asked leaders in the West to arm Ukraine with more defence systems and to allow Kyiv to use missiles deep inside Russia.
Zelensky said: "We keep telling everyone in the world who has the power to stop this terror: air defence systems and missiles are needed in Ukraine, not in a warehouse somewhere.
"Long-range strikes that can protect us from Russian terror are needed now, not sometime later. Unfortunately, every day of delay means loss of life."
The strike is seen as one of the biggest blows of the war to Ukraine as it is feared to have wiped out a key radar and electronic warfare training facility.
Ukraine is desperate to bolster its electronic war effort to thwart waves of Russian missile, drone and glide bomb attacks.
Local sources said two Iskanders targeted the 128th Brigade, with one missile impacting the parade ground and another blasting the canteen.
Rescue teams have managed to save 25 people - including 11 trapped under rubble - and were continuing to search for survivors.
An urgent call for blood donors was made as ambulances ferried scores of wounded to nearby hospitals.
An investigation was launched immediately amid fears the attack could have followed a tip-off from local informants.
Poltava is a city in central-eastern Ukraine - and is not part of the frontline in the Russia-Ukraine war.
The city has key Ukrainian military facilities including institutions and training centres.
Earlier this year, Russia struck an airfield in Poltava claiming to have destroyed Ukrainian jets, but today's attack was more direct and targeted city areas with civilian infrastructure.
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In July, Russia sparked a "genocidal massacre" after blitzing a children's cancer hospital in Kyiv.
The missile strikes rocked Ukraine and killed at least 41 innocent civilians, including children, women and doctors.
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