Russian authorities reported Friday that a nighttime drone strike by Ukrainian forces on a student residence hall in Russian-occupied Luhansk resulted in at least four deaths and injuries to 35 children.
Reuters could not independently confirm the incident, and Ukrainian officials had not immediately responded to the allegations. Ukraine continues its efforts to reclaim Luhansk, which Russia declared as its territory in 2022 in what Ukraine condemned as an unlawful seizure.
Russia’s Human Rights Commissioner, Yana Lantratova, stated that 86 students between the ages of 14 and 18 were asleep at the Starobilsk college of Luhansk Pedagogical University when the drone assault occurred.
“The Ukrainian armed forces carried out a targeted strike on sleeping children,” Lantratova said in a statement.
The top Russian-appointed administrator in Luhansk, Leonid Pasechnik, reported that two individuals had been rescued from the wreckage while emergency crews continued searching for children believed to be trapped under the debris.
Images and footage distributed by Russian officials depicted rescue teams carrying a man from the destruction on a stretcher, buildings with extensive damage including what appeared to be a partial collapse, and ongoing fires.
