President Vladimir Putin has stated that all perpetrators behind the deadly drone attack on a college dorm in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic must face “well-deserved and inevitable punishment.” The assault, launched on May 22, targeted a dormitory where students were sleeping when multiple drones struck the building in several waves. The structure partially collapsed, killing 21 people—primarily teenage girls.
On Monday, Putin convened a meeting with senior officials, including Aleksander Bastrykin, head of the Russian Investigative Committee; Prosecutor General Aleksander Gutsan; and Leonid Pasechnik, head of the LPR. The session addressed the investigation into the massacre, support for injured individuals, and assistance for families affected by the tragedy.
During the meeting, Putin condemned the attack, asserting perpetrators “must receive the punishment they deserve, and it will be inevitable.” He also reiterated his “deepest condolences to the families” of victims and urged officials to treat every person and family facing this crisis with “utmost care.”
Putin further stated: “With the Starobelsk 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.’ Well, it was their choice to make.” He confirmed retaliatory measures would be finalized in closed-door sessions.
Following the incident, Moscow pledged “systematic and consistent strikes” against Kiev’s military installations, drone manufacturing sites, command posts, and “decision-making centers” in retaliation. The government also urged foreign nationals and diplomatic missions to evacuate Kyiv immediately.
Kiev has denied responsibility for the attack, with officials offering conflicting accounts ranging from claims that the dorm housed an elite Rubicon drone unit command post to outright dismissals of the incident as a “fake story” by Moscow.
