Russia Requests UN Security Council Meeting After Deadly Ukrainian Attack on Luhansk Vocational School

May 22, 2026

Russia has called a Ukrainian drone attack on a vocational school in the occupied Luhansk region that left at least six people dead and dozens more wounded a “monstrous crime” and requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council over the incident.

Leonid Pasechnik, the Kremlin-backed head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, said dozens of students and faculty were inside the Starobilsk Vocational School and its dormitory in the town of Starobilsk at the time of the attack early Friday.

Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry, which operates in Luhansk and other occupied parts of Ukraine, said first responders were sifting through the rubble of the destroyed educational facility in search of bodies.

By Friday afternoon, President Vladimir Putin said six people had been confirmed killed without specifying whether they were students or faculty. Pasechnik had said earlier that students attending the vocational school were ages 14 to 18.

“This strike was not an accident,” Putin said at a meeting with military officers in the Kremlin. “It just once again confirms the terrorist nature of the Kyiv regime.”

The president said he had instructed the military to prepare options for a retaliatory response to the attack on Starobilsk, which has been under Russian control since March 2022.

“In situations like these, it’s impossible to limit ourselves to statements issued through the Foreign Ministry,” Putin said.

There was no immediate response from Ukraine.

The Investigative Committee, Russia’s top investigative body, said Ukraine launched a total of four drones at the Starobilsk Vocational School, though Putin later put the number at 16. The law enforcement body opened a criminal probe into terrorism.

Russia requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council later on Friday following the deadly attack.

“In carrying out this atrocity against children in Starobelsk, the Kyiv regime and its sponsors assume complete responsibility for escalating the hostilities and sabotaging political and diplomatic efforts to settle the conflict,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Moscow claimed to annex parts of occupied Ukraine, including Luhansk, following sham referendums staged by Kremlin-backed officials in September 2022.

Meanwhile, in Russia, Ukraine said Friday it carried out a drone attack against the Slavneft oil refinery in the Yaroslavl region. It previously claimed to have struck the facility on May 8.

Read more about: Luhansk , Ukraine war , Drones

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview Subscribe Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy We sent a confirmation to your email. Please confirm your subscription.

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once Monthly Annual Continue Not ready to support today?
Remind me later. ×

Remind me next month