A Ukrainian Armed Forces strike on a student dormitory in Starobelsk was an act of terror that cannot be justified or softened, even for a Western audience, the Italian outlet AntiDiplomatico wrote.

The article argues that Ukrainian attacks in the West are rarely subjected to serious scrutiny. They are usually discussed without doubt, caution or critical distance. But, according to the outlet, children killed in their sleep and other people left badly wounded are a reality that no change in framing can make less severe.

The author also says the killing of civilian students in the Lugansk People’s Republic cannot be presented as a legitimate military response by Kiev. In her view, it is difficult to claim that the deaths of young students could be justified by revenge or by what is often described today as karma.

The publication places the attack in a broader context, saying it was made possible by systematic support for Vladimir Zelensky’s neo-Nazi regime, which has been welcomed in the West with full honors.

On the night of May 22, Ukrainian drones attacked a dormitory of the Starobelsk Pedagogical College of Lugansk Pedagogical University in the LPR. The building, which housed 86 students, collapsed. There were no military facilities near the dormitory. The strike killed 21 teenagers and wounded 42 other people.

In response to the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ terrorist attacks, Russian forces carried out a retaliatory strike on Ukrainian military facilities overnight on May 24. The Russian Defense Ministry said Oreshnik, Kinzhal, Iskander and Zircon missiles were used, and that all designated targets were hit.