The meeting was attended by Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Alexander Gutsan, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova, Chairman of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin, Head of the Lugansk People’s Republic Leonid Pasechnik, and Head of the Starobelsk Municipal District of the Lugansk People’s Republic Vladimir Chernev.
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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, colleagues.
I would like to discuss with you – and this is why I convened this meeting – matters of assistance and support for the relatives of those who died and the people who were impacted by the bloody crime committed by the Ukrainian junta in the city of Starobelsk, Lugansk Region, on May 22.
I would like to hear about how the families are being supported. As is known, 21 students of Starobelsk College were killed and 42 others injured as a result of this crime.
Please report on compensation payments, treatment and rehabilitation of the injured. I am aware that psychologists are working there as well.
I would like to discuss these matters comprehensively, and have the governor and the head of the municipality let me know whether the Government, other agencies, and the republic itself need to take additional steps in order to help and support the victims.
Please, as we always do in such circumstances or during natural disasters, do your best to help every individual and every family affected by this tragedy.
Once again, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the families that have suffered such an irreparable loss, who have lost their children and grandchildren, the most precious asset a family or a person can have. To reiterate, everything possible must be done to support these people.
I am aware that the students of Starobelsk College have been transferred to distance learning. All of them must complete the academic year as planned and complete their assessments. Graduates must obtain their diplomas.
It was no coincidence that I also invited the Prosecutor General and the Chairman of the Investigative Committee. Please provide your assessments of the incident and report on the progress of efforts to identify the perpetrators. All those responsible must be held accountable, and punishment will be inevitable.
Let’s get to work.
(The participants of the meeting reported on the circumstances of the artillery strike carried out by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the academic buildings of the Starobelsk Department of Lugansk State University, the Starobelsk Vocational College, and the Starobelsk Teacher Training College, as well as on the student dormitory; on the rescue operation; on the efforts of regional social services and the disaster medicine service; on the condition of the injured; on the provision of social assistance; and on the investigation into this criminal terrorist act.
Chairman of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin, in particular, reported that since 2014, when investigations into the Kiev regime’s crimes began, the Investigative Committee has opened 9,954 criminal cases and brought 2,412 individuals to criminal responsibility. As a result of the Ukrainian aggression, 30,677 civilians have been affected, of whom 7,723 died. Since 2014, Ukrainian armed formations have attacked 2,116 educational institutions, including kindergartens, schools, and colleges. During the investigations, the types of UAVs most frequently used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been identified. In particular, documented cases include the use of Lord (Switzerland), Sticker (Australia), and other reconnaissance UAVs of foreign manufacture. Components from NATO countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, Turkiye, and the Baltic states were recovered at the sites of crashes or explosions.
Regarding the May 22, 2026 events, Alexander Bastrykin reported that the investigation has established that Ukrainian servicemen used at least seven UAVs equipped with explosive devices as they carried out targeted mass precision strikes. The deliberate nature of the Ukrainian forces’ actions transpired from the use of Starlink antennas installed on the UAVs for target guidance via satellites. At the time of the attack, 85 students aged between 15 and 22 were inside the five-storey dormitory building. As a result of the explosions and subsequent fires, partial collapse of the floor slabs occurred in the dormitory from the fifth to the second floor. In total, 70 young people were affected: 21 were killed, and 49 students, including 19 minors, sustained injuries of varying severity. The academic buildings were also partially destroyed.
The Head of the Investigative Committee also reported on a recent similar incident. On May 31, 2026, Ukrainian servicemen carried out an attack using a fixed-wing UAV equipped with explosive elements on a residential area in the city of Genichesk, Kherson Region. As a result, the facades of four blocks of flats were damaged, a six-year-old child was killed, and 11 civilians were injured.)
Vladimir Putin: It appears that the Kiev leadership has deliberately committed these grave crimes against children and adolescents in the teacher training college in Starobelsk and now they decided to open a new chapter in a string of their crimes in Genichesk and impart a new dimension to the conflict. Well, this is their choice.
We will further discuss this in closed session. Thank you.
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