Since February 24, 2022, Meduza has been broadcasting live about the Russian-Ukrainian war. We publish your messages every day because we are certain that we need to keep talking about war. The Ukrainian armed forces are launching increasing attacks on Russian cities. Perm, Tuapse, Cheboksary, Ryazan, Moscow – it seems that tomorrow’s drones can fly anywhere in Russia. What difference has this made in your life? Has the war become closer to you personally? Are you afraid for yourself and your loved ones? Do you think attitudes toward war in the country are changing – and how? The feedback form is at the end of this article. You can read the previous day’s review here.
Yesterday, Vladimir Putin accused the Ukrainian Armed Forces of launching a “terrorist attack” on the educational building and student housing at the Pedagogical College in Starobelsk. This city is located in the Russian-controlled part of the Lugansk region.
LPR head Leonid Pashnik said that as a result of the attack on the night of May 22, ten people were killed and 38 others were injured. 11 students are listed as missing. According to official data, there were 86 teenagers between the ages of 14 and 18 in the school at the time of the attack.
The President of the Russian Federation stated that the attack by the Ukrainian armed forces on the college was not accidental, because “it happened in three batches, 16 drones, in the same place.” According to him, there were no military installations near the hostel. “Therefore, there is no reason to say that the shells hit the building under the influence of our air defense and electronic warfare systems,” Putin said. “No one can say that they tried to hit an object, but the drones were shot down by our own means and they allegedly hit this building by mistake.”
He instructed the Russian Ministry of Defense to “submit its proposals” on how to respond to this attack. On the evening of May 22, Putin also held an executive meeting of the Russian Security Council, which began by discussing the raid on Starobelsk.
Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation Vasily Nebenzia reiterated the President’s theses on Friday at a meeting of the UN Security Council. He called on Western countries to condemn the attack on the college in Starobelsk. According to him, such strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces are carried out thanks to NATO countries, which supply Kiev with long-range weapons and help with reconnaissance and targeting.
Representatives of some Western countries, including Britain, Denmark and Latvia, said reports of the strike on Starobelsk were likely disinformation because they could not be independently confirmed and verified. Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Andriy Melnyk, described Nebenzey’s speech as a “pure propaganda show.”
The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, called on foreign media journalists accredited in Moscow to “visit the site of the tragedy.”
On the evening of May 22, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine described as “manipulation” the Kremlin’s statements that the Ukrainian army carried out strikes on civilian targets in the territories annexed by Russia.
“The Ukrainian Armed Forces carry out attacks on military infrastructure and installations used for military purposes, in strict compliance with the rules of international humanitarian law and the laws and customs of war,” the statement read.
At the same time, the Ukrainian General Staff admitted that, on the night of May 22, the Ukrainian Armed Forces struck “a number of targets of the Russian aggressor.” Among them are an oil refinery, ammunition depots, air defense systems, and command centers, including “one of the headquarters of the Rubicon unit in the Starobelsk city area.”
As mentioned in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Rubicon is a secret unit of the Russian Ministry of Defense that specializes in drones and regularly attacks civilians and civilian targets in Ukraine.
War in pictures. Slavyansk
In 2014, the takeover of Slavyansk by pro-Russian separatists sparked war in Donbas. The battles for the city lasted three months, and it eventually returned to Ukrainian control.
In the spring of 2026, the capture of Slavyansk remains a key military and political goal for the Russian military and the Kremlin. As stated in the latest Meduza military report, the offensive was halted due to successful tactical counterattacks launched by Ukrainian forces. This is what is happening in the city now.
War through the eyes of Medusa readers
Medusa’s readers live in different countries and have different attitudes toward war. We publish your messages to see this event through your eyes. Our editors try to represent all viewpoints, even if they do not match the editorial position. However, in accordance with the Medusa Law, we do not publish messages that contain “hate speech,” justify the killing of civilians, or express direct support for an aggressive war.
Evgenia (St. Petersburg). I’m not afraid [прилетов]. Everything that is happening now with arrivals and explosions on the territory of the Russian Federation is completely normal and expected. We started the war and now we are paying the price. It was naive to think that “he will not come to us.” I feel very sorry for people – both in Russia and in Ukraine. It is unlikely that we know that people are constantly suffering and dying, and we cannot influence what is happening. Helplessness and bitterness about what my country has become have been the main emotions of these four years, and a source of constant stress. However, it is much more difficult for residents of Ukraine and Russia’s border regions; They don’t have time to think, it’s a matter of survival. Human life in the post-Empire era is cheaper than a penny, with us and with them.
It hurts to the point of crying. I wrote here out of helplessness and despair. There is absolutely no one to talk to about it; Friends either supported SVO, left, or isolated themselves from reality in order to “live their own lives.” I’m not young at all anymore and I’m not healthy, but I really want to live to see the end of this madness, no matter how it ends.