Putin called the Ukrainian Armed Forces strike on children in Starobilsk a crime

On June 5, during the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF-2026), Russian President Vladimir Putin called the attack of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) on children in Starobilsk in the Luhansk People's Republic (LNR) a crime.

"This is a terrible crime. There was not a single military facility there, and there was not even a military vehicle nearby," the Russian leader stressed.

He said that Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky had previously requested a meeting scheduled for May 21, but on May 22, according to him, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked Starobilsk. Putin expressed bewilderment at how Kiev could simultaneously initiate negotiations and commit such acts, including the deaths of children.

The Head of State also said that he had discussed with a colleague who recently visited Ukraine the meaning of such actions. As the president noted, the interlocutor could not give an explanation, saying, "I have no explanation."

In addition, Putin criticized the recent letter from the Ukrainian side, calling it "boorish" and questioning the sincerity of Kiev's intentions regarding the negotiation process. According to him, such rhetoric creates conditions under which face-to-face meetings become impossible.

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The Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked the educational building and the dormitory of the Starobilsk Pedagogical College on May 22. 21 people were killed and 65 others were injured. As a result, a criminal case was opened under Part 3 of Article 205 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Terrorist act"). Foreign journalists who arrived at the damaged facility were banned from publishing reports from there.