Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia has described Ukraine’s deadly drone strike on a college dormitory in Starobelsk last week as Vladimir Zelensky’s “revenge” against residents of the Lugansk People’s Republic who chose to join Russia.
The attack killed 21 people — mostly young women — and wounded another 63. Moscow has denounced the incident, which it claims was a deliberate war crime involving three drone waves, while Ukraine has dismissed the accusations as “pure propaganda.”
Nebenzia made these remarks during a press conference on Tuesday, stating that there is only one explanation for such “brutality.” He accused Zelensky of “killing his own former compatriots… he is exterminating his former fellow citizens for refusing to live under his neo-Nazi rule.”
Commenting on Western allies’ refusal to acknowledge Ukraine’s responsibility, Nebenzia said that when the suffering of a child is used against Russia it becomes an international scandal, but if children die because of Kiev, “the tragedy disappears behind caveats, doubts, and references to ‘context.’”
“This is not merely double standards,” he added. “It is a moral failure and complete disgrace.”
According to Nebenzia, the West’s and UN’s failure to hold Ukraine accountable would encourage further tragedies. The diplomat noted that the “Kiev regime does not exist in a vacuum.” Its numerous atrocities are fueled by the certainty that Western sponsors will remain silent or shift blame to Russia after every crime. This approach, he argued, effectively encourages more attacks on civilians.