September 3, 2024, will be remembered as one of the most tragic days in the history of Poltava and Sumy. The Russian Federation launched a massive missile strike on these cities, resulting in the deaths of dozens, hundreds of injuries, and catastrophic destruction. This act of aggression is yet another proof of the Kremlin’s brutal policy aimed at destroying Ukraine as an independent state.
Targets of Aggression: Military and Civilian Objects Under Fire
One of the main targets was the Poltava Military Communications Academy. Witnesses reported two missiles striking directly at the building, causing powerful explosions felt even in the city center. At the same time, missiles also hit civilian structures—residential buildings, the Communications Institute, and a hospital housing patients.
As a result of this attack, 51 people were killed, and 271 were injured. These victims are further evidence of the unprecedented cruelty of the Russian military, who are deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure and peaceful populations.
Similar attacks occurred in Sumy, where Russian airstrikes hit one of the city’s universities. This was the second attack on educational institutions in a single day, highlighting Russia’s systematic strategy to destroy Ukrainian education and its future.
The impact of Russian aggression was felt not only by the residents of Poltava but also by the entire world. Destroyed homes, shattered lives, pain, and sorrow—this is only a small part of what Ukrainians have had to endure. Rescue workers operated around the clock to save people from the rubble and provide medical assistance to the injured. However, ongoing shelling complicated their efforts.
Why Does Russia Target Peaceful Cities?
The answer is simple—this is a deliberate choice by the Russian leadership. They want to break our spirit, to force us to surrender. However, Ukrainians do not intend to give up. We will fight for our freedom to the last.
Rescue Operation and International Reaction
The Ukrainian government immediately launched a large-scale rescue operation. Over 30 municipal workers and 10 units of equipment were involved, but rescuers had to work under the constant threat of renewed shelling. Russia uses the tactic of repeat strikes targeting rescuers, similar to the tactics employed by German fascists during World War II. This made evacuating the wounded more difficult and increased the number of casualties.
Overwhelmed hospitals in Poltava struggled to provide care to the wounded, many of whom were in critical condition.
The international community responded swiftly to this act of terror. White House spokesman John Kirby announced the U.S.’s intention to increase military aid to Ukraine, particularly in the supply of air defense systems. Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs called for the removal of all restrictions on the use of Western weapons, emphasizing that this would help save civilian lives.
Historical Context: Russian Aggression as an Attempt to Repeat a Totalitarian Past
The Russian strikes on educational institutions in Poltava and Sumy are not merely random acts of aggression. They are a deliberate attempt to destroy Ukraine’s future, echoing historical crimes against the Ukrainian people. This war appears to be a form of revenge for the Soviet regime’s failure to eliminate Ukrainian identity in the last century.
Russian aggression against Ukraine is not just a war over territories; it is an attempt to destroy Ukrainian identity, which has deep historical roots.
Throughout the over three hundred years of occupation by Moscow, everything Ukrainian has been systematically eradicated. This practice was especially widespread during the Soviet occupation, where the artificial famine—the Holodomor—claimed the lives of millions of Ukrainians, and an entire generation of Ukrainian artists and scientists was wiped out simply for identifying as Ukrainians, in what became known as the “Executed Renaissance.”
The strikes on educational institutions in Poltava and Sumy indicate Russia’s intent to destroy Ukraine’s future. This war seems like revenge for the failure to eliminate everything Ukrainian that does not serve Moscow, and the attacks on educational institutions are an attempt to organize a repeat of the “executed future.”
Atrocities in occupied territories, such as in Bucha, Irpin, and Izium, make it clear that the occupation forces have been given the green light to destroy ordinary Ukrainians, with all their war crimes covered by their leadership. It is evident that if they succeeded in capturing Ukraine, the physical destruction of the intelligentsia would be unavoidable, though for now, they can only bombard universities from a distance, under the pretext that military personnel are also undergoing training there.
The Need for Enhanced International Support for Ukraine
Ukraine urgently needs to strengthen its air defenses and secure medical resources.
The war in Ukraine is not just a conflict between two countries. It is a battle for the values we all stand for: freedom, democracy, and human rights. We must unite to stop Russian aggression and build a safe future for our children.
Ukraine does not intend to surrender. Ukrainians will fight for their freedom to the last. This war has shown that the Ukrainian people possess an unbreakable spirit and are ready to defend their land from the aggressor.
The international community must act decisively to stop the aggressor and help Ukraine secure its future.
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