STAROBILSK, Ukraine — A drone strike on a college dormitory in Russian-occupied Starobilsk, in Ukraine’s Luhansk region, has killed at least four people and injured dozens more, according to Russian-installed authorities, in an attack that Moscow described as a deliberate strike on a civilian facility.
The strike hit buildings belonging to Luhansk Pedagogical University overnight, including a five-storey dormitory, causing part of the structure to collapse. Initial reports said four people were killed and at least 35 others injured, while later Russian statements put the toll at six dead, 39 wounded and 15 missing. Rescue teams continued searching through the rubble for people believed to be trapped.
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of carrying out the attack and ordered the military to prepare options for retaliation. The Kremlin called the strike a “monstrous crime,” while Russian officials said there were students and teenagers inside the dormitory at the time. Moscow also called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
Ukraine denied deliberately targeting civilians. Kyiv said its forces had struck a Russian military drone command unit and maintained that its operations were conducted in line with international humanitarian law. Ukrainian officials accused Moscow of using the incident for propaganda, while independent verification of battlefield claims from either side remained difficult because Starobilsk is under Russian occupation.
The strike has added to tensions in a war increasingly shaped by long-range drones, missile attacks and strikes deep behind front lines. Starobilsk, located in occupied Luhansk, has been controlled by Russian forces for much of the full-scale war and has served as an important rear-area hub for Moscow’s military presence in eastern Ukraine.
Images and video from the scene showed a heavily damaged building, fires and emergency crews working around debris. Russian-backed officials said nearby administrative buildings, shops and residential blocks were also damaged.
The incident comes as both Russia and Ukraine continue to accuse each other of targeting civilian areas. On the same day, Ukrainian officials reported further Russian drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, while Russia said Ukrainian attacks had hit facilities in occupied territory and inside Russia.
The United Nations has repeatedly warned that attacks affecting civilians and civilian infrastructure may violate international humanitarian law. For families in Starobilsk, the immediate focus remains on rescue operations and identifying the dead, while the strike risks fuelling another round of escalation between Moscow and Kyiv.
