Forensic experts search destroyed student dormitory in Russian-controlled Luhansk region

(Patria) - Forensic experts on Sunday examined the rubble of a student dormitory that was largely destroyed in what Russian authorities claim was a Ukrainian drone attack in Ukraine's Luhansk region, brought under Russian control in the four-year war, Reuters reported.

Authorities said search operations were completed late Saturday and the death toll from the attack on the teacher training college rose to 21, many of them young women.

The building was damaged. Piles of twisted metal and concrete lay in front of the building overlooking what was once a courtyard, and inside, destroyed tables and cabinets were piled up.

A worker in protective gear examined pieces of metal and other debris laid out on a tarp as workers from the Russian Investigative Committee gathered information about Friday's incident.

Reuters reported from Starobilsk on a visit to a media facility organized by the Russian Federation's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on May 24, 2026.

The Ukrainian military denied responsibility and said it had hit an elite drone command unit in the area and acted in accordance with international humanitarian law.

Reuters was unable to independently verify what happened.

"Three waves of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) spaced ten to fifteen minutes apart," Russian human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova told reporters in front of the collapsed building, as a group of people held up photos of the deceased. "A total of sixteen drones. They waited for the children to run out. They shot directly at the children.".

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his military to prepare options for retaliation against Ukraine following the attack.

In just over 24 hours, early Sunday, Russia attacked Kyiv and surrounding areas with hundreds of drones and missiles in one of the city's heaviest bombardments since the start of the war.

Four people were killed in the overnight barrage, which was marked by the launch of a Russian hypersonic missile Oreshnik south of Kyiv.