Overview
- Russian-installed authorities say a Ukrainian drone strike hit a college dormitory in Starobilsk overnight on Friday, with rescue teams reporting the death toll rising to 18 and dozens more injured or trapped under rubble.
- Ukraine’s General Staff denied targeting civilians and said its forces struck a nearby Russian military drone unit headquarters known as Rubicon, calling Russian reports manipulative.
- President Vladimir Putin described the attack as a terrorist act and ordered the defence ministry to draw up response options while Moscow requested an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting.
- The Starobilsk strike is part of a recent surge in Ukrainian mid- and long-range drone operations that have hit Russian energy and military sites including refineries in Syzran and Yaroslavl, which Kyiv says are aimed at degrading Russian logistics.
- Russian authorities report hundreds of Ukrainian drones were intercepted over Russian regions in recent days, verification inside occupied areas remains limited, and the incident increases the risk of further escalation and civilian harm.