Russian strike kills 41 in Ukraine, officials say

A Russian strike killed 41 people and injured more than 180 others Tuesday in a region of central Ukraine, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The strike in the city of Poltava — about 200 miles southeast of Kyiv — targeted an educational center and a hospital. Two ballistic missiles struck, partially destroying a telecommunications building, according to Zelensky, who said he ordered an investigation into the strike and also pushed for the U.S. and Western allies to lift restrictions on allowing weapons to strike deep into Russia.

“We 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,” Zelensky said in a video posted to the social platform X. “Long-range strikes that can protect us from Russian terror are needed now, not later. Every day of delay, unfortunately, means more lost lives.”

Philip Pronin, the head of the Poltava region, called the Tuesday strike a “great tragedy” for Ukraine.

“Starting tomorrow, the region will be in three days of mourning. Bright memory to all the dead,” he wrote in a post on Telegram.

There was no immediate comment from Moscow on the strike.

A Russian-installed official in occupied Ukraine, Vladimir Rogov, claimed in a Telegram post that Russia targeted a military school in Poltava.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said many people remain trapped under the rubble in the aftermath of the strike, and rescue operations are underway. At least 25 people have been rescued so far.

It’s unclear why Ukraine was unable to knock both Russian missiles out of the sky with air defenses, or if Russia targeted the region with a large wave of missiles and drones. Other regions across Ukraine were also targeted Tuesday.

Ukraine has generally been able to prevent a high number of deaths from Russian strikes using air defense systems like the U.S.-made Patriots.

The Ministry of Defense said in a Telegram post that there was a short window “between the alarm and the arrival of the deadly rockets,” and that it “caught people at the moment of evacuation to the bomb shelter.”

“We urge everyone to remain calm and trust only official sources of information,” officials wrote. “Any speculation on this tragedy is unacceptable.”