Russia targets Poltava recruitment center with drone attack, casualties confirmed

Attack on Poltava

The spokeswoman for the Poltava regional branch of the State Emergency Service, Svitlana Rybalko, told Espreso that as of the evening, 59 people were reported injured and two killed. Ten people were rescued, including four pulled from under the rubble of a shelter.

Rescue teams involved canine units, as there was information that someone might be trapped under the debris of a residential building that was hit the hardest and where a fire broke out, covering up to 200 square meters. A mobile phone was found at the site.

“There was concern that the residents had remained in the building, but they later returned. Fortunately, despite the severe destruction, no one was injured in that house,” the spokeswoman added.

At 14:32, the head of the Poltava Regional Military Administration, Volodymyr Kohut, reported that State Emergency Service units had completed emergency repair work at the site of the enemy strike on the Poltava community. Utility services are now working at the scene. At present, it is known that two people were killed and 47 others injured.

Earlier, the spokeswoman for the Poltava regional branch of the State Emergency Service, Svitlana Rybalko, told Espreso that as of 12:10, the number of injured had risen to 21. The enemy strike damaged 23 buildings.

“This happened practically in the city center. Rescuers are now working at the scene, with about 20 units of equipment and personnel involved. Firefighting and clearing of destruction caused by the shelling are still ongoing,” the spokeswoman said.

Earlier, Kateryna Yamshchykova, secretary of the Poltava City Council, confirmed that the city came under a massive Russian drone attack. “Dear residents of Poltava! Our community was under a massive attack by Russian drones. All relevant services are involved,” she wrote.

According to the Ukrainian Ground Forces, Russian drones struck Poltava around 9:00 a.m. One of the strikes caused a fire at the Poltava Joint City Territorial Recruitment Center. Another hit started a fire in a private home near the Regional Territorial Recruitment Center.

“Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded, including civilians. Emergency services are working at the scene. The number of victims is being clarified and will be reported later,” the statement said.

Volodymyr Kohut confirmed that two people were killed and 11 wounded in the drone attack.

By 11:45 a.m., the number of victims had risen to 15, according to acting Poltava mayor Kateryna Yamshchykova, who spoke with Espreso correspondent Anna Morozova.

“Unfortunately, our medical facilities report fifteen victims as of now. Some arrived on their own, others were brought in by ambulance. Sadly, there are fatalities,” Yamshchykova said.
She added that “the damage is quite widespread.”

“There are various types of private homes and residential buildings, as well as business structures. More than seventeen residential buildings were affected, including high-rises and private houses,” added acting mayor Kateryna Yamshchykova.

She noted that over 300 employees from the Poltava City Council’s executive committee are currently involved in the response. “They are inspecting apartments, buildings, and courtyards to fully assess the extent of the damage and identify all affected addresses,” she said.

Strike on Konotop

Mayor Artem Semenikhin reported that an infrastructure facility in the city was destroyed by a Russian strike. According to preliminary data, no people were injured.