Casualty Toll Rises to 21 After Strike on Starobelsk Pedagogical University Dormitory
Rescue teams recover five more victims following the Ukrainian attack on educational facilities in Starobelsk, raising fatalities to 21.
Emergency services have recovered the bodies of five additional victims from the rubble of a pedagogical university dormitory in Starobelsk, increasing the death toll from the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) attack to 21, Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) reported.
The strike, which occurred on May 22, targeted both a college and a dormitory building associated with the pedagogical university. According to EMERCOM's official statements, the total number of injured and deceased persons related to the incident has reached 63.
Rescue operations have now concluded, with authorities confirming no more individuals remain trapped under the debris. The affected students were reportedly between the ages of 14 and 18, and at the time of the strike, approximately 86 students were present in the dormitory.
Conflicting Accounts on Military Use of Targeted Facilities
Officials appointed by the Russian-backed administration of the so-called Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) stated that the buildings were struck by Ukrainian drones. The strike focused on the educational campus, including the dormitory and classroom buildings of the Starobelsk Professional College connected to the Pedagogical University.
"At the moment of the strike, 86 students aged 14 to 18 were inside the dormitory," the LPR authorities said, emphasizing the civilian nature of the victims.
Conversely, a Ukrainian Telegram channel, Exilenova+, has claimed that the Russian military utilized the targeted educational facilities for military purposes. Supporting this, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces issued a statement on the evening of May 22 denying Russian media reports as manipulative.
The Ukrainian General Staff said, "On the night of May 22, 2026, strikes were conducted on several Russian aggressor facilities, including an oil refinery, ammunition depots, air defense systems, command posts, and enemy personnel. Among these was one of the headquarters of the 'Rubikon' unit in the Starobelsk area." The statement noted that this special military unit is involved in drone operations but did not specify if the command post was located within the college buildings.
This discrepancy highlights the ongoing information warfare surrounding the conflict in eastern Ukraine, with both sides presenting conflicting narratives about the nature and justification of the strikes.
The tragic event has added to the humanitarian toll of the conflict, intensifying concerns over civilian safety amid military engagements in populated areas.
