Putin condemns attack on college in Starobilsk

MOSCOW — Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Friday condemned the Ukrainian armed forces' attack on a college in Starobilsk in Luhansk, local media reported.

During his meeting with graduates of the 'Time of Heroes' programme, Putin said that the “‘Neo-Nazi regime that seized power in Kyiv" conducted a "terrorist attack" on a student dormitory, Russia’s state-owned Tass news agency reported.

Putin emphasised that the attack happened at night, when the students were sleeping.

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that by "committing atrocities against children in Starobilsk, the Kyiv regime and its handlers are taking full responsibility for the escalation of hostilities and the undermining of political and diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict."

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"Unleashing open, inhumane terror against defenceless children," is a new chapter in the armed conflict which is being opened by the Kyiv regime, which suffered defeat on the battlefield, the ministry added.

The ministry said that such strikes are carried out with the long-range weapons supplied by NATO.

It stated that it has reliable information regarding Western capitals proving Armed Forces of Ukraine with intelligence data and assistance with target designation.

“This strike could not have been accidental. It was a deliberate attack on civilians, carried out in the spirit of the German Nazis. None of those inside the building was or could have been taking part in hostilities, and there are no military facilities near the college,” the Russian Foreign Ministry stated.

It called on international organisations, national governments and the global public to assess the actions and condemn the attack in Starobelsk.

According to the statement, 86 children aged 14-18 were present inside the five-storey dormitory building of the college of Lugansk State Pedagogical University in Starobelsk.