MOSCOW, September 3. /TASS/. The Ukrainian authorities downplay the number of victims of the Russian armed forces at a military college in Poltava, Verkhovna Rada lawmaker Artyom Dmitruk said.

"The authority manipulates when it says that the strike hit ‘an educational facility and a hospital.’ They lie about the death toll, they lie about everything, because they are afraid. They are afraid that they will be held responsible," the said on his Telegram channel.

Dmitruk added that the Ukrainian armed forces command did not order the servicemen to go down to basements during an air raid alert, which resulted in most servicemen getting killed.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky claimed that 41 people died in the strike, and over 180 people got injured. Meanwhile, ex-lawmaker Igor Mosiychuk [included in the list of terrorists and extremists in Russia] claimed that several dozen Ukrainian servicemen got killed and about 600 got injured.

Previously, Chairman of Russian Civic Chamber Commission on sovereignty, patriotic projects and support for veterans Vladimir Rogov announced that the Russian forces carried out a missile strike at the former Moskalenko Higher Military Communications School in Poltava, which currently trains radar and electronic warfare specialists for the Ukrainian army.

The Ukrainian media reported explosions in Poltava on the morning of September 3.