The head of the Kremlin held an extended meeting with the highest representatives of the occupation authorities, including the so-called head of the “LPR” Leonid Pasechnik and the head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation Alexander Bastrykin. The main topic of the meeting was the attack on the college in Starobilsk.
This is reported by Finway
Putin’s statements and new details of the incident
During the meeting, Putin stated that “the punishment for those responsible for the attack on the college in Starobilsk will be inevitable” and referred to the event as a “terrorist act.” According to him, the number of casualties has risen to 21 people — unlike the previous statement made a few days ago, which mentioned six fatalities. Another 45 people sought assistance, and 70 individuals are considered injured.
Along with Putin, the meeting was also attended by the Attorney General of the Russian Federation Alexander Gutsan and Tatyana Golikova, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation for Social Policy, although their positions were not announced during the broadcast.
Accusations from Ukraine and the response from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
During the discussion, the Kremlin’s rhetoric remained unchanged: Putin again used the phrase “the bloody crime of the Ukrainian junta.” As noted by Attorney General Gutsan, among those accused in the case of the strike are the commander of the UAV forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Robert Brovdi and the head of the GUR Oleg Ivashchenko. Bastrykin added that the attack was carried out by servicemen of the 414th brigade of UAVs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine “Madjar Birds” under the command of Andriy Klymenko from the territory of the Kharkiv region. According to him, 16 UAVs were used, which were allegedly equipped with Starlink antennas, and the UAVs themselves were of Ukrainian and NATO production.
“Well, it seems that by consciously committing a serious crime against children and teenagers, the Kyiv leadership has decided to open a new chapter in their series of crimes. To provide a new quality to the conflict as a whole. Well, that is their choice.”
At the same time, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine released a statement emphasizing that Ukraine strikes only military targets. One of the targets in Starobilsk, according to the command, was the headquarters of the Russian Armed Forces unit “Rubikon,” which uses drones to attack Ukrainian positions.
Experts note that Putin’s new statement is yet another indication of the continued escalation from Moscow amid the recent failures of the Russian army.