Key facts
- A Ukrainian drone strike on May 22 hit the Starobilsk Professional College in Russian-occupied Luhansk Oblast.
- Russia claims the strike killed 21 students and injured 42, portraying it as a deliberate attack on civilians.
- Ukraine states the strike targeted military sites, including a Russian drone unit headquarters.
- The incident has been used by Russia as a propaganda tool to accuse Ukraine of terrorism.
- Independent verification of casualty claims is challenging due to the town's occupied status.
A Ukrainian drone strike on May 22 in the Russian-occupied city of Starobilsk, Luhansk Oblast, has become a focal point of propaganda efforts by Moscow. Russian officials immediately claimed the attack deliberately targeted students at the Starobilsk Professional College, resulting in 21 deaths and numerous injuries. This narrative was amplified by Russian state media and officials, including President Vladimir Putin, who used the incident to accuse Ukraine of terrorism and justify subsequent retaliatory strikes on Kyiv.
Russia has a history of leveraging claims of civilian casualties to frame its invasions of Ukraine. Following the Starobilsk strike, Russian officials and commentators on platforms like Telegram and X predominantly described the attack as a "terrorist act" against students. Moscow also accused Western media of ignoring the event, presenting limited coverage as evidence of complicity, and called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting.
Ukraine, however, has rejected these accusations as disinformation. The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces stated that the strike targeted military objectives, specifically mentioning one of the headquarters of Russia's elite Rubikon drone unit in the Starobilsk area. Independent verification of the claims is difficult due to the town being under Russian occupation and limited access for journalists.
Starobilsk, located about 65 kilometers from the front line, serves as a key logistics hub for Russia's military operations in the region. The city has been targeted previously, including an April strike that damaged a building used by occupation authorities. The May 22 strike occurred overnight, with reports of explosions and jet-powered drones flying over the city. Satellite imagery indicates that at least five buildings in the college area were hit.
Regarding the victims, Russian authorities released a list of 21 individuals identified as students, aged 18-22. While Russian officials initially framed them as minors aged 14-18, the published list indicates they were young adults. The Kyiv Independent's verification efforts found social media accounts for 19 of the listed individuals, with no activity after May 21 and numerous condolence messages from friends and relatives, suggesting the deaths were real. Many of these accounts indicated the individuals were students at the Starobilsk College.