Putin Accuses Ukraine Of Attacking Student Dorm In Starobilsk, Orders Military To Plan Retaliation

Last Updated:May 22, 2026, 22:37 IST

Vladimir Putin accuses Ukraine of a drone strike on a student hostel in Russian controlled Luhansk, reports six dead and missing teens, orders military retaliation, UN to meet

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday ordered the military to prepare retaliatory measures against Ukraine after accusing Kyiv of carrying out a drone strike on a student hostel in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region that allegedly killed six people and left several others missing.

Putin said the attack targeted a dormitory in Starobilsk used by students of Luhansk Pedagogical University’s local college. According to Russian officials, 86 teenagers aged between 14 and 18 were inside the building when the drones struck during the night.

Putin Accuses Ukraine Of Attacking Student Dorm

The Russian President claimed there were no military or intelligence facilities near the hostel and said the strike was deliberate. “The strike was not accidental. It came in three waves, with 16 drones targeting the same location," Putin said during a meeting with officials.

Meanwhile, Luhansk leader Leonid Pasechnik said two people had been rescued from the rubble, while Russia’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights Maria Lvova-Belova said up to 18 children could still be trapped. Several injured students were reported to be in serious condition.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the incident as a “monstrous crime" and demanded punishment for those responsible.

Russia’s foreign ministry said the top three floors of the five-storey hostel had been destroyed in the strike. Moscow also said the UN Security Council would hold an emergency session later on Friday to discuss the attack.

Reuters said it could not independently verify the incident. Ukraine did not comment on the allegations. Kyiv has repeatedly said it does not deliberately target civilians and wants to retake Luhansk, one of four Ukrainian regions annexed by Russia in 2022.

Photos and videos released by Russian authorities showed rescue workers searching through rubble, damaged buildings and fires burning at the site.

The latest accusations come days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed retaliation following a Russian missile strike on a residential building in Kyiv that killed 24 people, including three children.

News world Putin Accuses Ukraine Of Attacking Student Dorm In Starobilsk, Orders Military To Plan Retaliation

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