At least 18 people were killed in a Ukrainian strike on a college building in a Russian-occupied town in eastern Ukraine.
The strike targeted a college in the town of Bilovodsk in the Luhansk People's Republic, according to Russian-installed officials.
Moscow has strongly condemned the attack, calling it a deliberate strike on civilian infrastructure, while Ukraine has not yet issued an official comment.
At least 18 people were killed when Ukrainian forces struck a college building in the Russian-occupied town of Bilovodsk in Ukraine’s Luhansk region, local officials said on Saturday.
The strike hit the educational institution during daytime hours, causing significant damage to the building. Russian-backed authorities in Luhansk reported that several others were injured in the attack and that rescue operations are underway.
According to the Russian-installed administration, many of the victims were students and staff members present at the college at the time of the strike. Emergency services and Russian forces have cordoned off the area.
Russia’s defence ministry and local officials described the strike as a “barbaric” attack on civilian infrastructure and vowed a strong response. They accused Ukraine of deliberately targeting non-military sites to create fear among the local population.
This incident comes amid continued heavy fighting along the eastern front, with both sides reporting regular strikes on military and dual-use targets. The Luhansk region has been under Russian control since 2022, though Ukraine continues to claim it as its sovereign territory.
As of now, the Ukrainian military has not issued any official statement regarding the strike. Independent verification of the casualty figures remains difficult due to restricted access in the conflict zone.
