One of the largest attacks on Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in 2022 left 47 people dead and injured 206 others, according to Ukraine's first lady, Olena Zelenska.
Ukrainian officials said Russian ballistic missiles hit the Military Institute of Communications and a nearby hospital in Poltava, a city in eastern Ukraine, on Tuesday. They apparently hit shortly after the air raid sirens went off, so people didn't have enough time to get into bomb shelters. That's why officials say the casualty figures are so high.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed his country Tuesday and made another appeal to Western powers to provide better air defense systems.
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"We say again and again, everyone in the world has the power to stop this terror," Zelenskyy said. "The systems are — air defense missiles are needed for them in Ukraine, not somewhere in the warehouse. The long-range strikes that can protect against Russian terror are now necessary, and not later."
"I condemn this deplorable attack in the strongest possible terms," U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement Tuesday.
"This assault is a tragic reminder of Putin’s ongoing and outrageous attempts to break the will of a free people. But for two and a half years, the people of Ukraine have stood unbowed. And the United States will continue stand with them—including providing the air defense systems and capabilities they need to protect their country."
Last week, Ukraine's defense minister was in Washington meeting with U.S. officials at the Pentagon, begging for the ability to use Western weapons to attack deep inside Russia to try to hit the source of these missiles before they can attack population centers.
The request comes as Russia appears to have increased its tempo of attacks on Ukrainian cities — with a particular focus on the country's electrical and water infrastructure. A substation in the central Dnipro region was repeatedly bombed on Monday.
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The bombing comes as Ukraine uses its long-range drones to attack Russian oil, gas and power generation facilities. Oil and gas are the mainstays of the Russian economy despite international bans and sanctions. The industry provides funding for Russian President Vladimir Putin's war machine.
On the battlefield itself, Russia continues its advance in the East. Bloomberg reports that Iran is expected to deliver two types of short-range ballistic missiles to Russia. Analysts say these new Iranian missiles would allow the Russians to focus their more expensive and more powerful missiles on hitting farther away targets inside Ukraine.