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Russian authorities report deadly strike on student housing
A Russian-installed official in the occupied Luhansk region stated that an overnight attack on a student dormitory in Starobilsk left ten dead and 38 injured. Eleven individuals remain unaccounted for, according to the governor.
Conflicting accounts emerge over target of the strike
Ukraine's military claimed responsibility for hitting the headquarters of Russia's elite Rubicon drone unit in Starobilsk but did not confirm whether the building matched the one described by Russian sources.
Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed the Ukrainian claim, asserting that no military or intelligence facilities were near the site. Speaking at a Kremlin reception, he stated, "There is no justification for the assertion that our air defense or electronic warfare systems caused the munitions to strike the building."
Putin orders military to plan retaliatory measures
The Russian leader directed the military to develop proposals for retaliation following the attack, which he described as a three-wave assault involving 16 drones.
State-run Russian television broadcast footage of an injured student, identified as 19-year-old Diana Shovkun, who suffered head injuries from a collapsing concrete slab. No visuals of the deceased were shown.
Additional drone incidents reported in southern Russia
Early Saturday, Russian officials announced that falling drone debris ignited a fire at an oil depot in Novorossiysk, a Black Sea port. The regional command reported two injuries and damage to administrative buildings at a fuel terminal. No fatalities were recorded.
Further north, in the port city of Anapa, drone fragments damaged private residences, according to the same command.
Ukraine denies targeting civilians, cites military objectives
In a late Friday statement, Ukraine's military reiterated that its strike targeted Rubicon's headquarters in Starobilsk, accusing the unit of routinely attacking civilian areas and infrastructure in Ukraine.
"Ukrainian forces are inflicting damage on military infrastructure and facilities used for military purposes, strictly adhering to international humanitarian law and the laws and customs of war."
Recent strikes and escalating tensions
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that a strike had hit the headquarters of Russia's FSB security service in the occupied Kherson region. He claimed approximately 100 Russian personnel were killed or injured.
While Moscow's military has not commented, a pro-Kremlin Telegram channel acknowledged "casualties" following what it termed a "massive drone strike."
Ukraine has consistently accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians since the full-scale invasion began in 2022-a charge Moscow denies. Last week, Ukrainian officials reported that a Russian missile destroyed a residential building in Kyiv, killing 24 people, including three children.
