Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said dozens of people were killed Tuesday in a Russian attack that targeted a military academy in the central Ukrainian city of Poltava.
"Unfortunately, there are many dead. As of now, 41 people have been reported dead," Zelensky said, adding that more than 180 people were injured.
Two Russian ballistic missiles hit a hospital and an educational institution, partially destroying one of the institute's buildings, Ukraine's Defense Ministry said.
"The time interval between the air raid alert and the arrival of the deadly missiles was so short that it caught people in the middle of evacuating to the bomb shelter," the ministry said.
Rescuers were still at work after saving 25 people, including 11 trapped under the rubble, Ukraine's military said. Russian military bloggers claimed that the strike targeted an outdoor ceremony.
Ukrainian MP Maria Bezugla, who regularly criticizes Ukraine's military leadership, blamed high-ranking officials for endangering soldiers by allowing such events.
"These tragedies keep repeating themselves. When will it stop?" she wrote on Telegram.
Zelensky ordered a prompt investigation into the circumstances of the strike and called for more air defense equipment from Ukraine's Western partners.
