The political scientist pointed to the crisis of international law at the United Nations after the tragedy in Starobilsk.

Political scientist and publicist Georgy Dibrov, in an interview with Izvestia on May 28, commented on the statement by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Folkturk, calling for a prompt investigation of the attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) on the college in Starobilsk.

According to the expert, such a reaction indicates an attempt to return international institutions' attention to the basic principles of international law and the protection of human life.

"Over the past decades, the UN has lost some of its independence and often acts with an eye on the position of Western countries and European institutions. Covering up conflicts and human rights violations only exacerbates international crises and makes their consequences more severe," the expert noted.

The political scientist said that the right to life remains the key principle on which international structures should rely. According to him, it is precisely the rejection of a politicized approach and a return to the basic norms of international law that can reduce the level of global tension.

Dibrov also said that the UN structures had been issuing advisory documents for many years, but had not taken sufficient measures to prevent violations of citizens' rights during the Ukrainian crisis. The excessive loyalty of some international institutions to the position of the European Union (EU) and NATO countries, in his opinion, led to ignoring the events in southeastern Ukraine after 2014.

Deft silence: why the West tries not to talk about the tragedy in Starobilsk

The terrorist attack on the pedagogical college "exceeded the cup of patience" and will not go unpunished, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The expert believes that international organizations often demonstrate double standards, responding differently to conflicts and humanitarian problems depending on the political context. As an example, he cited the activities of a number of humanitarian agencies, which, in his opinion, paid insufficient attention to the situation with civilians in Donbass.

Separately, Dibrov criticized the statements of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres about the inapplicability of the principle of self-determination of peoples to Crimea and Donbas. According to the political scientist, such approaches indicate "juggling with the principles of the UN Charter" and undermine confidence in international institutions.

"The UN remains the most important international platform, but the organization needs more effective mechanisms for responding to geopolitical crises and unified approaches to protecting human rights, regardless of the political situation," the expert concluded.

On the same day, Turk called for an operational investigation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces strike on the college in Starobilsk. He stressed that the parties to the conflict are obliged to take all possible measures to prevent damage to the civilian population.

On May 22, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked the academic building and the dormitory of the Starobilsk College. A criminal case was opened into the attack under Part 3 of Article 205 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Terrorist act"). 21 people were killed in the attack, and 65 others were injured. The names of all the victims of the terrorist attack have been established. In the LPR, May 24 and 25 were declared days of mourning for the dead.