Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking an occupied campus dormitory; six people killed
Ukrainian drones have been accused of striking a dormitory at a campus in the Lugansk region, which is occupied by Russia. The attack killed six people and injured dozens, but Kyiv denies targeting civilians.
According to AFP, on Saturday (23 May 2026), a further 15 people were missing, said Russian President Vladimir Putin in a television address, describing the incident as a ‘terrorist’ attack.
Putin ordered his defence ministry to prepare a response, without giving further details.
‘So far, six people have died, 39 people injured, and 15 missing, as rescuers continue to search the rubble,’ he said in the televised remarks.
‘There are no military facilities, security services, or related agencies near the dormitory,’ he added.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said those responsible would face ‘inevitable and severe punishment’.
‘There will be no leniency in punishment,’ it said.
The Russian Investigative Committee accused the Ukrainian military of firing several drones at the building. ‘As a result of the attack, the five-storey building collapsed to the second floor,’ the statement said.
The Lugansk region is in eastern Ukraine, but largely occupied by Russia, which claims it as its own territory.
Images released by the Moscow-appointed regional governor show what appears to be a campus in the town of Starobilsk with shattered windows, and a fire visible in one of them.
‘Enemy drones attacked the academic building and the dormitory of Starobilsk College of Vocational Education,’ said the Moscow-appointed governor, Leonid Pasechnik, in a post on the MAX Russia messenger, using the Russian name for the town.
‘The attack occurred while there were 86 pupils aged between 14 and 18 there,’ he added.
The Ukrainian General Staff said they had struck the headquarters of a Russian military unit around Starobilsk, denying targeting civilians and calling Moscow’s allegations ‘manipulative information’.
They said their forces had attacked ‘one of the Rubikon unit bases’ in the Starobilsk area, adding that the unit was involved in carrying out attacks on Ukrainian civilians.
‘The Armed Forces of Ukraine are attacking infrastructure and military facilities used for military purposes, while complying with the norms of international humanitarian law, and the laws and customs of war,’ it added in a statement.
Starobilsk lies about 65 kilometres (40 miles) from the front line in eastern Ukraine. Russian forces captured the town in 2022, shortly after launching their full-scale invasion.