20:41 22-05-2026

Starobelsk College Drone Strike: Putin Details Attack

Putin says 16 drones struck Starobelsk College in the LPR in three waves, killing six and injuring 39, as Russia vows a military response.

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A strike on the academic building and dormitory of the Starobelsk Professional College of the Pedagogical University in the LPR came in three waves. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the attack hit the same location repeatedly, with 16 drones used in total.

Putin made the remarks at a meeting with graduates of the «Time of Heroes» program. He said the strike did not look accidental, as the drones came one after another and targeted the same point.

Earlier, LPR head Leonid Pasechnik reported a Ukrainian Armed Forces drone attack on the college in Starobelsk. Initial reports put the number of injured at 35, but the figure later rose to 39. Six people were killed.

According to Putin, Kiev needs such attacks to shift attention away from developments both on the front line and inside the country, provoke a response from Russia, and then blame Moscow for the escalation and its consequences.

Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s ambassador-at-large, said while commenting on the strike that Russia’s response would be military in nature. He explained that Moscow aims to weaken the Kiev regime militarily, and that the circumstances of the attack make it possible to determine where the drone came from, who gave the order, and which unit carried it out.

Miroshnik added that Russian security agencies would need little time to identify the specific people involved, including their names and the tasks assigned to them during the preparation of the strike on the college in the LPR.