On the morning of July 3, Russia launched a strike on Poltava, resulting in civilian deaths and injuries, according to the Ukrainian Ground Forces. At least two civilians have been confirmed dead, and around 30 others have been injured.
“Around 9:00 a.m. on July 3, the enemy struck the city of Poltava. As a result of one of the hits, a fire broke out in the building of the Poltava United City Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center,” the Ground Forces Command reported.
Another strike near the Poltava Regional Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center caused a fire on the premises of a private residential house, they added.
“There are dead and injured, including civilians. Emergency services are working at the scene. Additional information about the victims is being clarified and will be reported later,” the Ground Forces said.
The network of Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centers is under the jurisdiction of the Ground Forces.
As a result of drone strikes on the premises of the city and regional Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centers (TRC and SSC) in Poltava, two TRC servicemen and two female Armed Forces personnel were injured.
This was reported by Vitalii Sarantsev, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Ground Forces Command, during a broadcast of “Suspilne.Studio.”
“There were two strikes: one hit the grounds of the Poltava City TRC and SSC, and the other hit the grounds of the Poltava Regional TRC and SSC. Both military facilities are located in densely built-up urban areas,” he said.
According to him, many civilians who were near the administrative buildings were injured as a result. Whether any military personnel are among the dead will be reported later.
Sarantsev stated that Russian forces are deliberately targeting TRCs and SSCs in an attempt to disrupt mobilization, but this process cannot be stopped.
Later, the Poltava City Council reported that 28 people had sought medical assistance, with 17 of them hospitalized.
The strike damaged 14 apartment buildings, 9 private houses, 2 educational institutions, and 6 commercial facilities.
This is the first strike on a Territorial Recruitment Center in Ukraine to be officially reported by the Ground Forces Command.
July 3 is the Day of Army Aviation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces.
General Staff officer Anatolii Shtefan posted a video on Facebook showing three Shahed drones attacking a building one after another in the center of Poltava. Massive explosions triggered a large-scale fire.
Other videos from the city also show multiple Shaheds striking buildings in central Poltava.
In some houses near the impact site, windows were shattered, and cars were also damaged.
At 8:47 a.m., the head of Poltava region, Volodymyr Kohut, reported that explosions had been heard in the Poltava community.
“On July 3, the enemy struck the Poltava community. A fire broke out, and civilian infrastructure was damaged. According to preliminary information, unfortunately, two people were killed and 11 injured. An emergency response headquarters has been set up at the scene,” Kohut later added.
The Air Force had reported shortly before 9 a.m. that drones were heading toward Poltava from the north and west.
Acting city head Kateryna Yamshchykova also reported on the attack. “Our community came under a massive assault by Russian drones. All relevant emergency services have been mobilized,” she wrote.
Due to the ongoing emergency response, public transport routes in the city have been temporarily changed, Yamshchykova noted:
Routes No. 35, 40, 45, 55 will operate up to the “Korpusnyi Park” stop
Routes No. 36, 39, 42, 58, 65 will run to the “Budynok Zviazku” stop
Route No. 31 will terminate at “Sinna Street” stop
Trolleybuses No. 3 and 16 will run through the city center (via “Korpusnyi Sad” stop)
