KYIV - At least 51 people have been killed and 271 others injured Tuesday in a Russian missile attack on the city of Poltava in central Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Some people are still trapped under the rubble of the destroyed building and the rescue operation at the site continues, Zelensky wrote in a statement on Telegram.
Photographs posted on social media showed several bodies of young men on the ground covered in dust and debris, with the badly damaged side of a large building behind them. Reuters could not immediately verify the images.
Zelensky ordered a prompt investigation, saying the strike damaged a building of the Military Institute of Communications.
"The Land Forces Command is conducting an investigation to determine whether enough was done to protect the lives and health of the soldiers at the facility," a statement said.
ALSO READ: Russia launches new air raid on Ukraine
According to preliminary investigation, two Russian Iskander-M ballistic missiles struck an educational institution and a hospital in Poltava, Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office said in a statement.
The use of ballistic missiles - which hit targets hundreds of kilometers away within a few minutes of their launch - meant the victims had little time to find cover after the air raid siren sounded, the Foreign Ministry said.
Separately, the Ukrainian minister in charge of weapons production resigned on Tuesday in anticipation of another defense role and four other ministers stood down in a major government shake-up.
The resignations of Strategic Industries Minister Oleksandr Kamyshin, Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna and the justice, environment and reintegration ministers leaves over a third of the cabinet vacant.
Zelensky has also dismissed Rostyslav Shurma, one of his deputy chiefs of staff whose portfolio is the economy, according to a decree published on the presidential website.
READ MORE: Ukrainian president dismisses Air Force commander
David Arakhamia, a senior lawmaker for Zelensky's party, said there would be a "major government reset" that would see more than half of the ministers change.
With Reuters inputs
