Minister Klymenko: 15 rescuers injured in Russian strike on Poltava region still hospitalized

According to Ukrinform, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko announced this on Telegram.

The Interior Ministry chief visited the rescuers in hospitals. He noted that the injured are receiving all necessary medical treatment as well as daily psychological support.

Klymenko recalled that on May 5, Russian forces deliberately targeted those who were dealing with the aftermath of an earlier strike. Two civil protection professionals – Viktor Kuzmenko and Dmytro Skryl – were killed.

“Every day, State Emergency Service specialists work in dangerous conditions. They extinguish fires, clear rubble, save people – risking their own lives for others. Therefore, the issue of proper financial support for rescuers is fundamental for me. It is about respect for their work and the state’s responsibility toward the people who uphold the country’s security every day,” the Minister said.

He thanked members of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Law Enforcement Activities for supporting the Interior Ministry’s initiative to increase financial support for rescuers.

Klymenko expressed hope that the full parliament would support draft law No. 6506-1 during the vote. The bill, prepared for its second reading, envisages amendments to Article 125 of Ukraine’s Civil Protection Code, according to which the level of financial support for rescuers would amount to at least ten subsistence minimums for able-bodied persons.

“This decision is about justice for the people who save others every day,” the Interior Ministry chief stressed.

As reported by Ukrinform, on the night of May 5, Russian forces attacked the Poltava region with drones and missiles. Railway infrastructure and an industrial enterprise came under enemy fire.

As a result of the attack, five people were killed and 37 others were injured.

Two of those killed were rescuers. They had been involved in dealing with the aftermath of a strike on an energy facility when Russian forces launched a second attack using missiles with cluster munitions.

Another 26 rescuers were injured. As of May 5, three of them were reported to be in serious condition.