Putin Orders Retaliation After Deadly Drone Attack on Student Dormitory

President Vladimir Putin has vowed retribution against Ukraine following what he termed a "monstrous crime" – a drone attack on a student dormitory in Starobilsk, Luhansk Oblast. The Russian leader asserted that the attack, which reportedly killed six young people and left many injured or missing, was a deliberate targeting of a civilian educational facility. Putin stated that the Ukrainian military was aware of its target and that the attack, involving 16 drones hitting the same location in three waves, could not have been accidental or a result of Russian air defense or electronic warfare systems. Russia's military has been ordered to prepare options for retaliation. Russian officials, including the Commissioner for Human Rights and the Commissioner for Children's Rights, described the scene as devastating, with reports of teenagers sleeping in the dormitory at the time of the attack and some children trapped under the rubble. The Ukrainian side has not commented, and Reuters could not independently verify the details of the incident. This escalation underscores the brutal nature of the ongoing conflict and the devastating impact on civilian populations, particularly the youth.

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This is a monstrous crime. An attack on an educational institution where children and young people are.