Three victims of Russia's Sept. 3 attack on Poltava died in the hospital, bringing the total death toll to 58, Governor Filip Pronin said on Sept. 8.
Russia launched two ballistic missiles against the city on Sept. 3, hitting the Military Communications Institute and a neighboring medical facility. The educational institution building was partially destroyed.
Search and rescue operations at the site of the Russian missile attack on the city concluded on Sept. 5. The number of people killed at that time was 55, while other 328 were injured.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with NBC News that the missiles flew only three minutes before hitting the buildings, giving people little time to hide in the shelter.
Russian attacks have increasingly targeted educational facilities as the school year began in Ukraine, hitting a number of them in Sumy, Lviv, and Kryvyi Rih overnight on Sept. 4.
Poltava is a city of around 300,000, located in Poltava Oblast in central Ukraine. It is situated around 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the border with Russia, and 230 kilometers (143 miles) from the eastern front.
The city and surrounding region are regular targets of Russian drone and missile attacks.
Dinara Khalilova
