SRINAGAR: At least 18 people were killed and 41 others injured after a drone strike hit a student dormitory in Starobilsk in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region on Friday and Saturday, Russian-installed authorities said, with President Vladimir Putin ordering retaliatory measures and accusing Ukraine of targeting civilians, according to reports by Reuters, CNN and RIA Novosti.
Russian officials said the strike struck a dormitory attached to a teacher training college, causing part of the building to collapse and trapping several people beneath the rubble. Rescue workers continued search operations on Saturday, while local authorities said several of those killed were young women.
The Kremlin said Putin condemned the incident as a “terrorist act” and instructed military commanders to draw up response options. Russian authorities alleged that Ukrainian forces had deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure, RIA Novosti reported.
Ukraine denied intentionally striking civilians, saying the attack targeted what it described as a Russian military drone command facility operating in the area. Ukrainian officials said the operation had been conducted in accordance with international law, according to Reuters and CNN.
The strike prompted an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, during which Russian representatives accused Kyiv of committing war crimes. Ukrainian diplomats rejected the accusation and called for an independent international investigation, Reuters reported.
The incident comes amid intensified drone and missile exchanges between Russia and Ukraine, underscoring a further escalation in hostilities as the conflict continues.
