Russian authorities have stated that a Ukrainian drone attack overnight on a student dormitory in the Luhansk region, under Russian control in eastern Ukraine, killed at least four people and injured 35 children.
According to officials installed by Moscow in this region claimed by Russia since 2022, the attack targeted a dormitory belonging to the Starobilsk College of the Luhansk Pedagogical University, where 86 teenagers aged 14 to 18 were sleeping at the time of the incident.
Rescuers continued their search operations in the rubble on Friday. Leonid Pasechnik, the top Russian official in the region, indicated that two people had already been pulled from the debris, while children could still be trapped beneath the ruins.
Images released by Russian authorities show severely damaged buildings, one of which appears to have partially collapsed, as well as fires that are still burning. Rescue workers are also seen evacuating injured people on stretchers.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denounced what he called a "monstrous crime," demanding that those responsible be punished. He stressed the urgent need to clear the rubble and provide assistance to the victims.
Reuters reports that it has not been able to independently verify the circumstances of the attack. Ukraine, which is seeking to regain control of the Luhansk region, had not immediately issued an official statement.
Since the beginning of the conflict, Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of striking civilian areas, while both sides claim not to deliberately target civilian populations.
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