Sixteen killed in Ukrainian drone attack, as Zelensky argues for full EU membership

A drone strike on a student dorm in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine killed 16 people, with most victims young women. Russian officials said Vladimir Putin ordered military preparations for retaliation after Moscow accused Kyiv of a deliberate drone strike on a college in Starobilsk. Ukraine denied responsibility, saying it struck an elite drone command unit and that its forces complied with international humanitarian law. Russian officials reported five people remained trapped under rubble. UN Security Council discussions followed, with Russia alleging war crimes and Ukraine calling the claim unverified. Several countries demanded access to the site, while UN officials condemned attacks on civilians and referenced a recent Russian missile strike on a UN warehouse.

"The death toll from a drone strike on a student dorm in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine has risen to 16, with most of the victims young women, Russian officials have said. Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered his military to prepare options for retaliation after Moscow accused Kyiv of what it described as a deliberate drone strike on a college in the town of Starobilsk. Ukraine's military denied responsibility for the attack, saying it had struck an elite drone command unit in the area and that its forces complied with international humanitarian law."

"On Saturday, a crane at the scene was working to remove rubble from a yawning gap in the building. Inside one shattered classroom, bricks and dust covered rows of student desks with "I love English" written on the wall. Elsewhere, a stairwell was blocked by debris. Five people remained trapped under the rubble, according to the emergency ministry, while Leonid Pasechnik published a preliminary list containing details of 11 victims, most of them 19-year-old women."

"At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council called by Russia on Friday, Russia accused Ukraine of war crimes over the incident while Ukraine said it was a baseless claim that had not been independently verified. Several countries called for access to the site, while UN officials decried all attacks on civilians, recalling a Russian missile attack on a UN warehouse in Ukraine last week that killed two workers and destroyed €1.2m worth of aid."

Read at Irish Independent