Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed the military to prepare responses against Ukraine following his accusations that Kyiv conducted a lethal drone attack on a student dormitory, resulting in six deaths and numerous injuries, with 15 individuals still unaccounted for. Putin claimed that the incident occurred in Starobilsk, situated in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine, and suggested that Kyiv’s military deliberately targeted the location. In response, Ukraine’s military refuted the allegations, asserting that they targeted an elite drone command unit in the vicinity, in compliance with international humanitarian laws.
Putin, in a televised address, emphasized that there were no military installations near the dormitory and dismissed the possibility that the strike was accidental, noting that the attack involved three waves of drones targeting the same spot. The Russian military has been directed to devise retaliatory measures, as per Putin’s orders.
Both sides have denied intentionally targeting civilians in the conflict. The ongoing strife involves Ukraine’s efforts to reclaim Luhansk, among the four eastern regions claimed by Moscow in 2022, a move condemned by Kyiv as an unlawful annexation.
The attack on the dormitory, described as a “monstrous crime” by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, left 86 teenagers between the ages of 14 and 18 inside the hostel at the time of the assault. Rescue operations are ongoing, with reports of individuals still trapped under the debris. The United Nations Security Council is set to convene for an emergency session in New York to address the situation.
Photographic evidence released by Russian authorities depicts the aftermath of the strike, showing severely damaged buildings and ongoing fires. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed retaliatory action following a similar incident in Kyiv, where a Russian missile strike claimed the lives of 24 individuals, including three children. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has escalated into a full-scale war since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.