LUHANSK: Russian-installed authorities said Ukrainian drones struck a college in the occupied Luhansk region early Friday, killing at least one person and wounding dozens more.
Luhansk is located in eastern Ukraine but is largely occupied by Russian forces, which claim the territory as part of Russia.
Images released by the region’s Moscow-installed governor showed what appeared to be a college building in Starobilsk with shattered windows and visible fire damage.
There was no immediate response from Ukraine regarding the reported strike.
Leonid Pasechnik, the Russian-appointed governor of Luhansk, said on Russia’s MAX messaging platform that “enemy drones attacked the academic building and dormitory of Starobelsk Professional College.”
He added that 86 children aged between 14 and 18 were present at the time of the attack, and 35 of them suffered injuries of varying severity.
Russian state media, citing the country’s emergencies ministry, reported that rescuers had recovered at least one body from the rubble and were continuing search operations for possible additional victims.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said Ukrainian forces launched four drones at the building, which it described as a serious criminal act.
It further stated that the five-storey structure was heavily damaged, with part of it collapsing down to the second floor as a result of the strike.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov condemned the attack, calling it a “heinous crime” in comments to reporters.
Starobilsk is located roughly 65 kilometres (40 miles) from the front line in eastern Ukraine and was captured by Russian forces in 2022 shortly after the start of the full-scale invasion.
Ukraine has previously denied targeting civilians and has said it conducts strikes on Russian-controlled areas in response to repeated Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has documented more than 60,000 civilian casualties since 2022, noting that nearly 90 percent occurred in Ukrainian government-controlled areas.