Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of carrying out a deadly drone strike on a student dormitory in the Russian-controlled city of Starobilsk in the Luhansk region, and has promised retaliation. According to Russian state media, six people were killed and dozens wounded, with 15 still unaccounted for. Ukraine’s military denied the claim, stating that the attack targeted an elite drone command unit and an oil refinery supplying Russian forces.
At a UN Security Council emergency meeting called by Russia, Ukrainian Ambassador Melnyk Andrii dismissed the accusations as a “pure propaganda show,” insisting that the strikes “exclusively targeted the Russian war machine.” He said the operations neutralised an oil refinery fuelling occupation forces, ammunition depots, air defence assets, and command centres.
Separately, Czech President Petr Pavel urged Nato to “show its teeth” in response to Russia’s repeated provocations on the alliance’s eastern flank. In an interview with the Guardian, Pavel suggested options including switching off Russia’s internet, cutting off its banks from global financial systems, and shooting down jets that violate allied airspace. He warned that without decisive responses, Moscow could intensify its actions.
The International Atomic Energy Agency reported that a fire at the Dniprovska electrical substation, caused by military activity, partially disconnected a nuclear power plant from off-site power. Firefighters were tackling the blaze, and the grid operator requested the disconnection.
In Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, falling drone debris sparked a fire at an oil terminal, injuring two people and damaging buildings. Ukrainian forces also struck an oil refinery in Yaroslavl, about 700km from the border. Ukraine’s Defence Ministry said it hit 11 Russian oil facilities this month, including one of Russia’s largest refineries at Kirishi.
In Kyiv, hundreds of Ukrainians marched to protest a bill that could prematurely declare missing soldiers dead. Over 90,000 people are listed as missing in Ukraine’s registry. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US troop numbers in Europe would drop from 80,000 due to global commitments, and a bipartisan group of US senators pressed the Pentagon to disburse $600m in delayed security aid to Ukraine and eastern European allies.
