In brief
Ukrainian officials reported that a coordinated series of attacks attributed to Russian forces resulted in at least 18 civilian fatalities, including children, highlighting the humanitarian crisis as the war approaches its fourth anniversary.
Ukrainian authorities revealed on Sunday that two separate airstrikes the previous day had led to the deaths of at least 18 civilians, marking one of the year's deadliest days in a conflict that continues to inflict severe suffering as it nears its fourth year. The first attack took place on Saturday morning when a Russian missile struck a residential apartment building in Poltava, situated approximately 150 miles from the front lines, which resulted in at least 14 deaths, including two children. Emergency services reported scenes of devastation, with rescuers sorting through the wreckage to locate victims, as footage showed clothing and personal items scattered across the debris.A few hours later, a separate attack struck a boarding school in Sudzha, a town within Russia controlled under Ukrainian influence, prompting the deaths of four more individuals. The Russian Defense Ministry attributed blame for the Sudzha strike to Ukrainian forces, and chose not to comment on the assault that hit Poltava. Each country's allegations regarding the attacks remain unverified by independent sources.Ukrainian officials indicated that approximately 90 Russian civilians, displaced by local hostilities, had taken refuge in the Sudzha school at the time of the bombing. Oleksiy Dmytrashkivkyi, a military spokesperson for the area, confirmed that the assault resulted in four fatalities and numerous injuries. President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed outrage via social media, highlighting the tragedy of attacking a facility that housed civilians, whom he referred to as "Russia’s own civilians," while sharing harrowing images of the aftermath.
