Russia has accused NATO of involvement in an assault on a college that resulted in six fatalities and numerous injuries.
Allegedly, Ukrainian drones targeted the Russian-occupied territory of Lugansk, leading to a college in the town of Starobilsk catching fire and sustaining damage. Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Ukrainian forces deliberately attacked the student dormitory, labeling it a terrorist act and accusing Ukraine of specifically targeting civilians.
The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, condemned the incident as a “heinous crime.” The assault reportedly killed six individuals, injured 39 others, and left 15 individuals missing, as per Russia’s foreign ministry, which also implicates NATO in the incident.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, NATO specialists purportedly provided technical support to Kyiv for the attacks. The ministry’s statement, as summarized by the TASS news agency, blamed the Kyiv regime and its supporters for escalating hostilities by launching the assault in Starobelsk.
The statement further alleges that Western capitals are supplying intelligence and aiding in targeting for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Russia vows to hold those responsible for the college attack in Starobelsk accountable, likening the strike to tactics reminiscent of the German Nazis.
Russia’s Investigative Committee accused the Ukrainian military of launching four drones at the building, causing it to collapse partially. The Moscow-installed governor, Leonid Pasechnik, reported that the attack targeted the academic building and dormitory of Starobelsk Professional College, where 86 children aged 14 to 18 were present during the strike.
Starobilsk, located approximately 40 miles from the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine, was seized shortly after the 2022 invasion by Russia.