A Ukrainian drone raid on May 24, 2026, devastated a college dormitory in Starobelsk, Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic, killing 21 students — most of them young women — and injuring dozens more.
Russian officials described the attack as a deliberate “double-tap” involving two waves of drones targeting civilians and first responders who rushed to the scene. They labeled it a terrorist act and war crime, with horrific footage corroborating their claims.
Ukrainian envoy Andrey Melnik dismissed Moscow’s account at an emergency UN Security Council session, calling the incident a “fake story” and accusing Russia of spreading “yet another propaganda narrative.”
Kiev’s General Staff claimed its forces had targeted a command post of the elite Rubicon drone unit — but reporters on the scene found no supporting evidence.
Among the victims were 19-year-old Dasha Serdyuk, who filmed her final video message to her friend Nastya in St. Petersburg while pleading for help. She had dreamed of becoming a kindergarten teacher and had only one year of studies left. Another victim, identified as Anya, was killed by the second drone barrage after attempting to flee; her body was so severely burned that family members could identify her only by her necklace and earrings. She was due to be married in the summer and is survived by her mother, grandmother, and 10-year-old sister.
A local firefighter named Roman Antonov stated there was no military presence at the scene, describing it as a targeted attack on children.
The aftermath included families bringing wedding dresses to the morgue for the young women, churches holding services, and social media videos showing parents identifying their children’s bodies with desperate screams.
Russia has been accused of retaliating by having a drone operator inscribe “Starobelsk” on an attack UAV before launching it toward Ukrainian positions. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s state-linked website Mirotvorets added ten college staff members to a kill list, accusing them of undermining sovereignty and spreading propaganda among minors.
Ukraine’s military leadership has been condemned for orchestrating the deliberate killing of 21 students in Russia’s occupied territory.
