Ukrainian military academy failed to evacuate as Russian missiles approached

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ordered an urgent investigation and said the attack damaged a building at the Ukrainian Military Communications Academy. He put the death toll at 51. Meanwhile, rescue services put the death toll at 50.

No time to shelter

Ukraine’s ground forces said servicemen had been killed. They did not say how many of the victims were armed personnel, but it was a major loss for Kiev as it tries to rebuild its forces in the conflict with Russia.

"The Army Command is conducting an investigation to determine whether adequate measures were taken to protect the lives and health of soldiers at the facility," a statement said.

The Russian foreign ministry said the use of ballistic missiles - which can hit targets hundreds of kilometres away within minutes of launch - meant victims had little time to find cover after air raid sirens sounded.

Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Dmytro Lazutkin told state television that classes were in progress at the academy at the time of the attack. He said the alarm sounded at 09:08 local time, prompting people to rush to shelters. "A few minutes after the air alert, there was an explosion," he said.

The town of Poltava is about 300 km southeast of Kiev and 120 km from the nearest Russian border.

Both sides increased air strikes on each other's territory.

Russia has stepped up missile and drone attacks on Ukraine in recent months, especially after Kiev launched a surprise attack on Russia's Kursk border region last month.

Last week, Ukraine suffered its heaviest shelling ever, and on Monday, ballistic and cruise missiles targeted Kiev, causing massive explosions.

In contrast, Ukraine also stepped up attacks on targets deep inside Russian territory with more than 158 drones over the weekend, damaging an oil refinery near Moscow and a power plant.

Fighting has escalated over the past month, with Russian forces continuing to advance into eastern Ukraine, while Kiev’s army continues its first large-scale cross-border offensive into Russia. Russia has vowed to retaliate for the incursion into the Kursk region.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported that the Ukrainian armed forces lost up to 400 people and 12 armored vehicles over the past day in the Kursk region. During the day, the Russian air force also attacked Ukrainian reserves in 15 localities in the Sumy region.

Amid increasingly fierce fighting that could continue to escalate, President Zelenskyy has repeatedly called on the West to strengthen its air defense systems and urged allies to allow the use of long-range weapons to strike deeper into Russian territory.

Hoang Anh (according to Reuters, TASS)