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Moscow has intensified its criticism of Western media and the European Union over their response to a drone attack on a vocational college in Starobelsk, a city in the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) controlled by Russian-backed forces. Russian officials accuse Kyiv of launching the strike, which they say killed and wounded dozens of students, and allege that Western outlets and institutions are deliberately downplaying or ignoring the incident. The Russian Foreign Ministry has arranged visits for international journalists to the site, with more than 50 reporters from 19 countries reportedly attending, while the BBC formally declined and CNN did not respond to invitations.

Coverage Comparison

The coverage of this story appears exclusively through TASS, Russia's state news agency, with multiple articles reporting on the same events from slightly different angles. All articles attribute statements to Russian officials—Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov—and present the attack as a Ukrainian act of terrorism. The articles consistently note that Western media outlets like the BBC and CNN chose not to visit the site, with Zakharova famously remarking that CNN must be "on vacation." The casualty figures vary between reports: some cite 21 killed and over 40 wounded, while an early report mentioned 12 killed, and another from the Russian Emergencies Ministry put the toll at 10 killed and 38 wounded. No independent verification from non-Russian sources is presented.

Key Claims

  • The Ukrainian military launched drones at the academic building and dormitory of the Lugansk Pedagogical University’s Vocational College in Starobelsk in the early hours of May 22. This claim is consistently reported by TASS, with Russian officials stating 86 students aged 14 to 18 were inside at the time of the attack.
  • Casualty figures vary: the most frequently cited numbers are 21 killed and over 40 wounded, but some reports mention 12 killed, and another from the Russian Emergencies Ministry cites 10 killed and 38 wounded. A claim that 65 children were injured is attributed to LPR Head Leonid Pasechnik.
  • Over 50 media representatives from 19 countries visited the site of the attack, organized by Moscow, according to Zakharova. The countries listed include Austria, Brazil, Britain, Hungary, Venezuela, Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, Qatar, China, Cuba, Lebanon, UAE, Pakistan, the United States, Turkey, Finland, and France.
  • The BBC formally declined to visit Starobelsk, and CNN did not respond to the invitation, as stated by Zakharova. She subsequently joked that CNN reporters "must be on vacation."
  • Ten employees of the Starobelsk college were added to Ukraine's Mirotvorets website, which TASS describes as an "extremist website" containing illegally collected personal data. TASS claims the site was created in 2014 and includes data on journalists, artists, athletes, and politicians, with some entries involving minors as young as two years old.
  • Russia's mission to the European Union informed the European Commission about the attack, but the EU and the European External Action Service (EEAS) have not made a public statement on the incident. EU Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper reportedly stated that the EU will maintain its diplomatic presence in Kyiv and continue military assistance to Ukraine.

Perspectives

Russian Government Perspective

Russian officials, including Lavrov and Peskov, portray the attack as a "terrorist act" by what Lavrov called the "Nazi Kiev regime." They argue that Western media outlets that refused to visit the site cannot be considered objective or unbiased, and that the West is ignoring the incident to avoid condemning Ukraine. The Kremlin emphasizes the importance of the journalist visit to counter what it calls "blatant lies" by Western officials at the UN Security Council, who allegedly denied that the attack occurred.

Western Media and EU Response

No direct Western media or EU response is included in the available material. However, the reported refusals and silence are consistent with a lack of independent verification of the attack and its circumstances. The EU's position, as conveyed by Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper, appears focused on maintaining support for Ukraine, including continued military aid, and does not acknowledge the attack as described by Russia.

Casualty Discrepancies and Verification

A notable discrepancy in casualty figures across Russian sources themselves underscores the challenges of verification. While most TASS articles cite 21 killed and over 40 wounded, one early report mentions 12 killed, and another from the Russian Emergencies Ministry gives 10 killed and 38 wounded, with 11 students missing. These variations suggest that the situation on the ground is not fully clear, and no independent confirmation from international bodies or non-Russian media is available.