- Grammy-winning Cissy Houston, mother of Whitney, dies at 91
- UN biodiversity summit in Colombia aims to turn words into action
- Georgia Supreme Court reinstates six-week abortion ban
- 'Dark day': Victims mourned around the globe on Oct. 7 anniversary
- On attacks anniversary, Israel fights multi-front war
- Mexican mayor murdered days after taking office
- Intensifying to Category 5, Hurricane Milton targets Florida
- Mission to probe smashed asteroid launches despite hurricane
- Biden, Harris mark Oct. 7 with call for Mideast peace
- Dupont set for Toulouse return after post-Olympic holiday
- French rugby bosses tighten discipline after nightmare Argentina tour
- Oil prices extend gains on Mideast tensions, Wall Street slips
- Visitors to get rare view of Rome's Trevi Fountain
- Europe's asteroid mission Hera launches despite hurricane
- Man City and Premier League both claim victory in legal case
- Deschamps delight as 'light back on' for Pogba after doping ban
- Biden, Harris urge Mideast peace on Oct. 7 anniversary
- Neeskens, tough midfielder in Cruyff's Ajax and Dutch teams
- UN warns world's water cycle becoming ever more erratic
- Oil prices extend gains on Mideast tensions, Wall Street retreats
- Ex-Dutch football star Johan Neeskens dies
- Man Utd battling to improve fortunes, says Evans
- What is microRNA? Nobel-winning discovery explained
- Masood, Abdullah centuries lift Pakistan to 328-4 in first England Test
- Hurricane Milton strengthens fast, threatens Mexico, Florida
- Tunisia's President Saied set for landslide election win
- Barca hoping to return to Camp Nou 'by end of year'
- Trump to open second golf course at Scotland resort in summer 2025
- Super-sub Jhon Duran rewarded with new Aston Villa deal
- US duo win Nobel for gene regulation breakthrough
- Masood hits first ton for four years to power Pakistan to 233-1
- Fritz wins delayed match to reach Shanghai Masters third round
- Naomi Osaka pulls out of Japan Open with back injury
- Weather may delay launch of mission to study deflected asteroid
- China to flesh out economic stimulus plans after bumper rally
- Artist Marina Abramovic hopes first China show offers tech respite
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on US jobs data
- Pakistan 122-1 at lunch in first England Test
- Kazakhs approve plan for first nuclear power plant
- World marks anniversary of Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- 'Second family': tennis stars hunt winning formula with new coaches
- Philippines, South Korea agree to deepen maritime cooperation
- Mexico mayor murdered days after taking office
- Sardinia's sheep farmers battle bluetongue as climate warms
- Japan govt admits doctoring 'untidy' cabinet photo
- Israel marks first anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack
- Darvish tames Ohtani as Padres thrash Dodgers
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on jobs data
- Family affair as LeBron, Bronny James make Lakers bow
- Cancer, cardiovascular drugs tipped for Nobel as prize week opens
RBGPF | -1.97% | 58.94 | $ | |
CMSC | -0.53% | 24.57 | $ | |
SCS | -0.15% | 12.95 | $ | |
GSK | -0.49% | 38.63 | $ | |
NGG | -1.56% | 65.48 | $ | |
RELX | -0.54% | 46.04 | $ | |
RYCEF | -1.45% | 6.88 | $ | |
VOD | 0.31% | 9.69 | $ | |
RIO | -0.11% | 69.62 | $ | |
BTI | -0.26% | 35.2 | $ | |
AZN | -0.78% | 76.87 | $ | |
BCC | 1.68% | 141.27 | $ | |
JRI | -0.76% | 13.18 | $ | |
CMSD | -0.09% | 24.79 | $ | |
BCE | -0.54% | 33.53 | $ | |
BP | 0.78% | 33.14 | $ |
Russian strike on Poltava kills 41, injures 180: Zelensky
Dozens of Ukrainians were killed on Tuesday in a Russian missile attack on the central Ukrainian city of Poltava, one of the deadliest strikes of the two-and-a-half-year war.
President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to hold "Russian scum" accountable for the attack on a military education facility and nearby hospital, which killed at least 41 and wounded another 180.
The strike triggered anger on Ukrainian social media after unconfirmed reports said it had targeted an outdoor military ceremony, with many blaming reckless behaviour from officials who allowed the event to take place despite the threat of Russian attacks.
Zelensky said he had ordered a "full and prompt investigation into all the circumstances of what happened".
"More than 180 people were injured. Unfortunately, there are many dead. As of now, 41 people have been reported dead," Zelensky said in a post on social media.
Two Russian ballistic missiles hit the hospital and an educational institution, partially destroying one of the buildings, Zelensky said.
"The time interval between the alarm and the arrival of the deadly missiles was so short that it caught people in the middle of evacuating to the bomb shelter," the defence ministry said.
The strike took place in the morning in Poltava, a city with a pre-war population of around 300,000 people, located 300 kilometres (189 miles) east of Kyiv.
The Poltava military communications institute, founded in the 1960s when Ukraine was part of the USSR, specialises in training telecommunications specialists.
"One of the institute's buildings was partially destroyed, and many people were trapped under the rubble," the defence ministry said.
An AFP journalist on the scene saw several ambulances heading towards the affected site shortly after the attack on the military institute.
Rescuers were still at work after having managed to save 25 people, including 11 trapped under the rubble, the defence ministry said.
- 'More pain' -
Official channels and local media shared messages urging locals to donate blood to help treat the wounded.
At the same time criticism of Ukrainian officials swirled online.
"Poltava... How can such a large number of people gather at such a facility?" said blogger Sergey Naumovich.
There had been some reports from Russian military bloggers that the strike targeted an outdoor ceremony.
Poltava Governor Philip Pronin said his administration could not provide more details of the circumstances of the strike "for security reasons".
"The enemy is using any means to bring Ukraine more pain and disorientate Ukrainians. Please trust only reliable sources," he said.
Ukrainian MP Maria Bezugla, who regularly criticises the country's military leadership, accused high-ranking officials of endangering soldiers by allowing such events.
"These tragedies keep repeating themselves. When will it stop?" she posted on Telegram.
Zelensky said he ordered a "full and prompt investigation" into the strike and vowed to keep Russia accountable.
The attack follows another recent scandal for Ukraine's army command after a US-made F-16 fighter jet crashed in combat last week, killing the pilot.
The crash of the F-16 was a high-profile setback for Kyiv, which had lobbied the West to send the advanced fighter jet for months, and triggered the dismissal of the country's air force chief Mykola Oleshchuk.
P.Mathewson--AMWN