1. The Facts
Ukraine targeted the main academic building and dormitory of the Starobelsk Professional College in the Lugansk People’s Republic overnight from Thursday to Friday, with several waves of UAVs on Friday (22nd May, 2026) killing 21 people – most of them teenage girls – and injuring 60 others.
There were no military targets in the area, and the fact that several waves of drones were used confirms the terrorist nature of this attack.
2. Retailatory Strikes
The Moscow reply didn't take too long.
Russia struck Kiev primarily, with over 600 drones and dozens of missiles. All the well-known actors were involved: Zircon, Iskander-M, Kalibr, Iskander-K, Kh-101, Geranium/Gerbera, and last but not least, the prime star of the show: Oreshnik.
Targets: Ukrainian army HQs, air bases, and defense industry enterprises.
According to this source the summary of the strikes is:
The Lukyanivka junction was the main target of the night. According to monitoring channels and NASA FIRMS thermal data:
— Command of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, military unit A0105, Degtyarevskaya, 19/7 (Shevchenkivskyi district, Lukyanivka).
— Artem State Joint-Stock Company — Ukraine's main manufacturer of missile weapons. R-27, guided bombs, modifications to foreign systems. Large thermal data points right within the plant's perimeter.
— Command of the Support Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine — next to the Ground Forces headquarters.
— Analitpribor Plant (Shevchenkivskyi) — electronics for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
— Formerly Rele i Avtomatika and Radialny — defense instrument manufacturing.
— Industrial zone of the Darnitskyi district.
— Lagoda Business Park (Solomensky).
— SBU office in Podolsk.
Bila Tserkva. Ukrainian sources are simultaneously reporting a "garage cooperative and enterprise buildings." Kyiv Regional Council deputy Gorkovenko snidely writes about "three destroyed garages." A familiar pattern—to divert attention from the real target. And the real targets in Bila Tserkva, which fit the logic of the strike, are as follows:
— Bila Tserkva Aircraft Repair Complex / KP "BVAK", 4a Gayok Street. Coordinates 49.7961°N, 30.0244°E. Repair of Ilyushin, Antonov, and helicopters. According to Ukrainian sources, trains carrying NATO equipment have been unloaded there in recent months.
— Bila Tserkva Thermal Power Plant, 4a Gayok Street. Ivan Kozhedub, 361 (49.797°N, 30.183°E).
— Railroad and road junction.
3. European Reactions
In terms of mass media, the articles are as expected: Euronews.com tries to divert attention from what triggered this reaction and focuses on the use of Oreshnik and civilian targets in quotes:
... saying it came as part of a retaliatory attack following Ukrainian strikes against "civilian targets," which Kyiv has denied
Politico.eu doesn't even bother to mention this terrorist attack.
The European leaders are doing what they're doing best: denying the obvious and leading the narrative in one direction:
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned the attack* as a "reckless escalation" in a post on X and reaffirmed Germany’s support for Ukraine.
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the massive Russian assault demonstrated "the Kremlin’s brutality and disregard for both human life and peace negotiations."
- EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described the attacks as "abhorrent acts of terror" against the Ukrainian civilian population. She said Russia had reached a military dead end and was therefore deliberately targeting city centres.
* Russian attack on Kiev, not the Ukrainian one
4. Russian Reactions
Most of the students killed in Starobelsk will be buried in their wedding dresses. Most of the deceased students were between 14-18 y.o." — Russia's Human Rights Commissioner, Yana Lantratova
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Sunday that the BBC and CNN rejected Moscow’s invitation to visit the site of the attack, while Tokyo explicitly banned Japanese reporters from making the trip.
That's not surprising at all. They have to maintain a specific position against Russia and pro-Ukraine, therefore the truth cannot be allowed to alter this "reality."
Medvedev on today's attack on Kiev:
"We need to strike - as we did today, and even much harder! After all, the ruins and gray ash in the place of their capital symbols demoralize the enemy no less than the loss of a battle banner."
For all the ended lives there: May God rest your souls in peace.
