Two firefighters killed and 23 injured in Russian double-tap strike on Poltava Oblast
Two firefighters have been killed and 23 injured in a Russian double-tap missile strike on a facility in Poltava Oblast, where they were extinguishing a large fire caused by an earlier attack.
Source: Ukraine's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko; Andrii Danyk, Head of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES)
Quote: "The enemy attacked a gas extraction facility in Poltava Oblast overnight. When State Emergency Service units arrived at the scene and began extinguishing a large fire, the enemy struck the site with a missile. Sadly, two firefighters suffered fatal injuries."
Details: Klymenko said that a further 23 firefighters were injured, three of whom are in a critical condition.
Andrii Danyk added that two more people had been killed and eight injured in the double-tap strike.
The attack claimed the lives of Viktor Kuzmenko, Deputy Head of Poltava Oblast State Emergency Service's Operational Coordination Centre and Dmytro Skryl, a firefighter and rescue worker.
Kuzmenko was a Hero of Ukraine. Under his leadership, 17 people were rescued following a strike on Poltava in 2024.
Kuzmenko took part in more than 50 emergency response operations following Russian attacks, prevented man-made disasters and personally helped to extinguish fires at critical infrastructure sites.
Skryl had served in the State Emergency Service for over 20 years and repeatedly took part in responding to complex fires at oil and gas facilities caused by Russian attacks.
Klymenko said he was a responsible and highly professional firefighter who knew his job well and had worked in the most difficult conditions.
Background: Four people were killed and 31 injured in a combined Russian strike on Poltava Oblast on the night of 4-5 May.
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