Ukraine blames Russia for deadly missile strike on Kursk college | Ukraine

Ukraine’s navy has stated that Russian forces struck a boarding college housing individuals getting ready for evacuation in part of Russia’s Kursk area held by Ukrainian forces, killing not less than 4 individuals.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated the assault had destroyed the boarding college within the border city of Sudzha, “though dozens of civilians had been there”.

An announcement by the Ukrainian navy’s normal workers on Saturday stated that, as of 10pm (8pm GMT), rescue efforts to clear rubble had been continuing.

4 individuals had been killed and 84 had been rescued or obtained medical help, the assertion stated. 4 of the injured had been in a critical situation.

Reuters couldn’t independently confirm the Ukrainian account.

Russia blamed Kyiv for the lethal strike. “On February 1, the Ukrainian Armed Forces dedicated one other struggle crime by launching a focused missile strike on a boarding college within the metropolis of Sudzha,” stated an announcement from Russia’s defence ministry.

Zelenskyy, writing in English on X, stated the assault uncovered Russia as “a state devoid of civility”.

“That is how Russia wages struggle: Sudzha, Kursk area, Russian territory, a boarding college with civilians getting ready to evacuate,” Zelenskyy wrote. “A Russian aerial bomb. They destroyed the constructing though dozens of civilians had been there … That is how Russia waged struggle towards Chechnya a long time in the past. They killed Syrians the identical method. Russian bombs destroy Ukrainian properties the identical method.“

A navy spokesperson, Oleksiy Dmytrashkivskyi, had earlier stated in a video posted on Fb that almost 100 individuals had been below rubble on the web site, which he stated had housed largely aged and infirm individuals.

Not less than one unofficial Russian navy blogger stated Ukrainian forces had been behind the strike.

Ukrainian forces have held swathes of the Kursk area since staging a serious cross-border incursion final August.

Earlier on Saturday Russia launched a barrage of drones and missiles on Ukraine, killing 15 individuals and damaging dozens of residential buildings in addition to power infrastructure throughout the nation, Ukrainian officers stated.

Within the central metropolis of Poltava, Ukraine’s emergency companies stated a Russian missile had struck a residential constructing, killing 11 individuals and wounding 16, together with 4 youngsters.

They stated 22 individuals had been rescued from rubble and emergency crews labored nicely into the night time. Rescue groups carried out the lifeless on stretchers.

Reuters TV footage confirmed thick columns of smoke rising from mounds of rubble exterior the constructing, a part of which was decreased to a twisted mass of steel and constructing supplies.

Firefighters and dozens of rescuers had been looking out via rubble and carrying the lifeless out on stretchers.

In Kharkiv, in Ukraine’s north-east, one individual was killed and 4 had been wounded in a drone assault, the mayor stated.
Three law enforcement officials had been killed in the course of the assaults as they patrolled streets in a village within the north-eastern area of Sumy, regional officers stated.