The Ukrainian Armed Forces hit a dormitory in Starobilsk. What is known

On the night of May 22, 2026, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) launched a massive attack on the academic building and dormitory of the Starobilsk College of Lugansk State Pedagogical University. As of noon on May 23, the death toll reached 11 people, 41 people were injured. All the details are in the Izvestia article.

Circumstances of the attack

The attack on Starobilsk began on the evening of May 21 at about 22:00 and lasted about four hours in three waves. The Ukrainian Armed Forces used 16 heavy unmanned aerial vehicles, which struck the building of the educational building and a five-story dormitory. At the time of the impact, 86 students and one college employee were in the dormitory. After the hits, the dormitory building collapsed all the way to the second floor.

Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia, called the attack deliberate, stressing that the strike was carried out at night when the building was filled with people. Russian President Vladimir Putin said there was no doubt that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were targeting peaceful children, as there were no military facilities near the college.

Victims and injured

According to the head of the LPR Leonid Pasechnik, the death toll reached 11 people, including eight girls and three boys. The number of injured is 41 people. Rescuers continue to dismantle the rubble at the site of the tragedy. Work does not stop around the clock. A criminal case has been opened into the attack under Part 3 of Article 205 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Terrorist act").

Government reaction and international condemnation

Nebenzia said at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that attacks on a civilian facility where children live are a war crime. The Russian side called on international organizations to condemn Kiev's actions.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the Foreign Ministry is organizing a visit to the site of the tragedy for foreign journalists accredited in Moscow, noting the lies of Western countries that are trying to deny the fact of the strike. The head of the LPR, Leonid Pasechnik, expressed his condolences to the families and friends of the victims and promised that the perpetrators would be punished.