The attack on a school in Starobelsk last week killed 21 people, mostly young women, with another 63 wounded
Ukraine’s deadly drone strike on a college dormitory in Starobelsk was Vladimir Zelensky’s “revenge” against residents of the Lugansk People’s Republic who chose to join Russia, Moscow’s UN envoy, Vassily Nebenzia, has said.
The diplomat made the remarks during a press conference on Tuesday, which was dedicated to Kiev’s strike on the college last week that killed 21 people – mostly young women – with another 63 wounded. Moscow has denounced the attack, which it said was deliberate and involved three drone waves, as a war crime and “terrorist act.” Despite ample evidence, Kiev has dismissed the accusations as “pure propaganda.”
Nebenzia lashed out at Ukraine, saying there is only one explanation for such “brutality.”“It is Kiev’s revenge against the people of the Lugansk People’s Republic who chose Russia [in a referendum in 2022]. Zelensky is actually killing his own former compatriots… he is exterminating his former fellow citizens for refusing to live under his neo-Nazi rule,” the diplomat said.
Commenting on Kiev’s Western backers, who have refused to acknowledge Ukraine’s responsibility, Nebenzia said that if the suffering of a child can be used against Russia, it immediately becomes an international scandal, but if children die because of Kiev, “the tragedy disappears behind caveats, doubts, and references to ‘context’.”
“This is not merely double standards. It is a moral failure and complete disgrace,” the envoy told the briefing.
According to Nebenzia, the West and the UN’s failure to hold Ukraine accountable would only encourage further tragedy. “The Kiev regime does not exist in a vacuum. Its numerous atrocities are fueled by the certainty that, after every crime, its Western sponsors will either remain silent, cast doubt on the obvious, or simply blame Russia instead. This approach effectively encourages further attacks on civilians,” he said.
Following the Starobelsk strike, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov notified US Secretary of State Marco Rubio of upcoming “systematic strikes” on Kiev’s military-industrial facilities and command centers, while urging foreign nationals to leave the Ukrainian capital.
On Sunday, Russia conducted a powerful strike on Kiev’s defense industry using the hypersonic Oreshnik system, Iskander ballistic missiles, and Kinzhal and Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles. Moscow maintains that it never targets civilians.
