A state of emergency has been declared in occupied Luhansk Oblast following an attack on Starobilsk
A state of emergency has been declared in the occupied part of Luhansk Oblast following an attack on Starobilsk, where a college academic building and dormitory were destroyed. Searches are underway for people trapped under the rubble, and some of the missing have not yet been found. Meanwhile, the parties to the conflict are offering differing accounts of exactly what happened and who was affected.
In the occupied Luhansk region, authorities announced the introduction of a regional-level state of emergency following the strike on Starobilsk, where, according to the local administration, a vocational college’s academic building and dormitory were damaged.
This was reported by the head of the occupation administration, Leonid Pasichnyk, who stated that the decision was made due to the scale of the consequences and the need for rapid clearance of the debris and search for people under the rubble. “I have decided to declare a regional state of emergency. It is now important to mobilize all forces to address the consequences of the strike and provide the necessary assistance,” Pasichnyk said.
According to him, the fate of 15 people remains unknown at this time; rescue workers are continuing to clear the rubble, and emergency services are on the scene. Separately, he expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased and thanked the Russian leadership for their support, particularly Vladimir Putin, which drew additional attention to the political context of the situation.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed the strike on Starobilsk but denied claims of damage to civilian facilities as presented by the occupying side, noting that details are still being clarified.
Meanwhile, the Russian side is providing different figures regarding the consequences: they report on the dead, wounded, and missing, and also promise to “draw conclusions” following the incident. The situation remains tense, search and rescue operations are ongoing at the site, and information from various parties continues to differ depending on the source.
As a reminder, Russia attacked a substation in the Kramatorsk district with an FPV drone.
In the Zolochiv community of the Kharkiv region, a Russian drone attacked the Hryhorii Skovoroda National Literary and Memorial Museum.
