Russia says at least 18 killed in Ukrainian strike on college dormitory

CNN:

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered retaliation to a deadly Ukrainian attack on what he said was a college dormitory in an occupied town which authorities say killed at least 18.

Putin accused Ukraine of a “terrorist” act after Ukrainian drones struck the dormitory in Starobilsk, an occupied town in eastern Luhansk on Friday.

The Russian president added that he had ordered the defense ministry to come up with proposals for a response to the Ukrainian strike.

The Russian state news agency Tass said Saturday that the death toll of “children killed in the Ukrainian drone strike” had risen to 18, citing Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations. A further three people are believed to be trapped under the rubble.

Such a toll from a Ukrainian attack would be very rare so far from the front lines and not targeting any obvious military facility.

But Ukraine’s military rejected Putin’s claim and accused Russian media of circulating “manipulative information” on the attack. It reiterated that it strikes “military infrastructure and facilities used for military purposes.”

The military added that among targets struck early Friday was “one of the headquarters of the ‘Rubicon’ unit in the Starobilsk area.”

The elite Rubicon Center for Advanced Unmanned Technologies has pioneered Russian drone technology and targeting since it was formed in 2024.