Russian Security Official Characterizes Starobelsk College Strike as Premeditated Attack

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu has characterized a Ukrainian military strike on a vocational college in Starobelsk as a premeditated and targeted attack rather than an incidental bombing. Speaking to reporters following a meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Committee of Security Council Secretaries on May 26, Shoigu emphasized that the strike demonstrated deliberate targeting and coordination.

The attack occurred in the early hours of May 22, when Ukrainian forces launched drone strikes against an academic building and dormitory at the Lugansk Pedagogical University's Vocational College in Starobelsk. According to Russian accounts, the strike resulted in 21 fatalities. Shoigu noted that the same location was struck multiple times during the operation, arguing this pattern ruled out accidental targeting.

Shoigu asserted that the precision and range of the attack would have been impossible without significant external support and coordination. "Without satellite support, no weapons can hit targets at such a range and with such precision," he stated. He further argued that the operation relied on advanced surveillance capabilities and coordinated targeting systems, leading him to describe the incident as a terrorist attack rather than a military action with unintended civilian casualties.