Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised harsh retaliation after accusing Ukraine of launching a deadly drone attack on a student dormitory in the occupied Luhansk region. Speaking at a Kremlin reception in Moscow on Friday, Putin ordered the Russian military to prepare concrete proposals for a response. According to Russian officials, the strike was carried out in three distinct waves using 16 drones targeting the town of Starobilsk.
Putin emphasized that there were no military or intelligence installations in the vicinity, dismissing claims that the destruction resulted from air defense interceptions.Six people were killed, 39 others were injured, and 15 remain missing following the overnight strike, according to official reports.
Yana Lantratova, Russia’s human rights commissioner, stated that 86 teenagers aged 14 to 18 were asleep inside the dormitory belonging to Starobilsk College of Luhansk State Pedagogical University when the attack occurred. The Russian Foreign Ministry reported that the strike completely pulverized the top three floors of the five-story hostel building. Maria Lvova-Belova, the presidential commissioner for children`s rights, warned that up to 18 children could still be trapped beneath the concrete rubble. In response to the incident, which Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov labeled a monstrous crime, Moscow requested an emergency session of the UN Security Council.
However, Ukraine`s military strongly denied targeting civilian infrastructure, calling the Russian statements an act of manipulation. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine countered that its long-range forces successfully hit the headquarters of Russia`s elite Rubicon drone unit in Starobilsk. Kyiv identified this specialized center as a key command post responsible for coordinating regular drone operations against Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure. The military stressed that all operations strictly adhere to international humanitarian law and the customs of war.
Russian state television broadcast footage of one injured student, identified as 19-year-old Diana Shovkun, who sustained head injuries from a collapsing concrete slab. Local resident Lyubov Yakovlevna described hearing massive explosions that sent shockwaves through nearby apartment blocks, causing residents to flee for safety.
Separately, Russian officials reported early Saturday that falling drone debris triggered a major fire at an oil depot in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. The regional headquarters of Krasnodar confirmed that several administrative structures at a fuel terminal caught fire, injuring two people. These developments follow a statement from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who previously announced a successful strike on an FSB security service headquarters in the occupied Kherson region, resulting in approximately 100 casualties.
