Russia says death toll from Ukrainian drone strike on Starobilsk college rises to 21

The death toll from Ukraine’s drone attack on a college building and dormitory in the city of Starobilsk, in Ukraine’s Russia-controlled Luhansk region rose to 21, according to regional authorities on Sunday.

The search and rescue operations were completed, and all missing people have been accounted for, the Moscow-appointed administration said in a statement on the Russian social media platform Max.

“Search and rescue operations have been completed. As a result of the strike, 21 people have died. We express our condolences to the families of the victims,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, Yuriy Ihnat, head of the communications department of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, told Ukrainian media that the Russian army struck the city of Bila Tserkva in the Kyiv region using the Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile.

Bila Tserkva is home to the Bila Tserkva Cargo Aviation Complex, the Bila Tserkva Combined Heat and Power Plant, as well as railway and road transport hubs. The city also hosts large industrial enterprises and military facilities.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of the Russian Security Council and former leader, indirectly confirmed the strike in a statement on Max.

He blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his team, saying they “provoked a harsh response from Russia with their terrorist strikes targeting children.”

“Apparently, it was intentional. They needed to draw massive strikes against the structures deployed in Kyiv,” Medvedev argued.

Separately, Zelenskyy claimed 90 missiles of various types and some 600 drones were involved in Russia’s retaliatory strike.

He said at least 83 people were injured and that there were fatalities, without specifying the number of those killed.

Both sides continue to report civilian casualties and infrastructure damage, while independent verification of the claims remains challenging due to the ongoing hostilities that have continued since February 2022.